Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) and State Bank of India (SBI) have launched the Singara Chennai Card for common mobility in the city.
The co-branded National Common Mobility (NCMC) Ru-Pay card will initially be accepted only on the metro before being expanded to include access to trains and buses.
Customers will soon be able to pay with this one card in a variety of locations across the nation, including retail stores, toll booths, suburban trains, buses, and parking lot.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) developed the underlying technology for RuPay NCMC cards, which are currently widely used nationwide with all security features.
The card has a stored value area that can hold up to Rs 2,000 and allows users to purchase tickets offline.
Currently, the Singara Chennai Card can be used at Chennai Metro stations as well as in all other metros in India that accept RuPay NCMC cards, including the MMRDA Mumbai Line 2A & 7 in Mumbai, Bangalore Metro, Delhi Metro Airport Line, Kanpur Metro, BEST Buses Mumbai, and Kadamba Transport Buses in Goa.
Commuters can use the card for rail services after the Indian Railways establishes a policy for releasing the card into the system. This might take a month or two, according to CMRL authorities.
The card can be used for transportation, toll, parking and shopping in various areas of the country, including buses, suburban railways, and smart cities, reports New Indian Express.
The SBI will issue the NCMC card at metro stations in Chennai’s Koyambedu, Central Station, the airport, High Court, Alandur, Thirumangalam, and Guindy. The card can be used at all metro stations’ automatic gates, according to the release.
Paycraft is set to launch its second ticketing system in Chennai within a year after the successful debut on the Pune Metro, according to CMRL press release.
SBI offers a website (https://transit.sbi/swift/customerportal?pagename=cmrl) for new card applications and recharges. Card balance top-ups are possible with cash or online bank accounts, according to the statement.