The Transport Department, in collaboration with the Centre for e-Governance (CeG), has successfully developed samples of smart cards for the Shakti scheme, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy told The Hindu. “However, the implementation of these smart cards may be delayed as we are currently assessing their feasibility for use on city routes especially in Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC),” he added.
Despite the Shakti scheme surpassing 100 crore rides, the government’s initiative to provide smart cards to women passengers, initially set to be implemented within three months of the scheme’s launch on June 11, has been delayed, with the new deadline extended to December 2023.
“The smart cards can potentially be applied to long journey routes within the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses. However, their suitability for implementation in BMTC and other short-distance city buses needs to be thoroughly examined. Given that many people use city buses for short durations, we are in the process of assessing the compatibility of the smart cards in city buses,” Mr. Reddy explained.
