Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s (MSRTC) decision to make NCMC cards mandatory for availing fare concessions has come into effect amid complaints of overcharging, lack of cards and conflicting rules between offline and online ticketing. While passengers without the card are being charged the full fare on buses, the concession is still appearing on the MSRTC’s online booking system, leaving senior citizens and other eligible passengers confused.
Cards Mandatory From October 1
From October 1, senior citizens, Amrut senior citizens and women travelling on concession are required to produce an NCMC card to avail the benefit. MSRTC has said that the QR-coded receipt issued after registration will be valid for concession for 30 days. However, with a large number of eligible passengers yet to receive their cards, the implementation has raised concerns over whether genuine beneficiaries are being denied concessions.
The issue has also brought the card distribution system under scrutiny. MSRTC has appointed 6,012 agents across the state for distributing NCMC cards. Passengers have alleged that cards priced at ₹199 are being sold for ₹250 to ₹300 at some locations. There are also questions over the functioning of agents and the monitoring mechanism. It has been claimed that agents were required to deposit ₹30,000 as a non-refundable amount while taking up the distribution work. MSRTC needs to clarify whether this arrangement has contributed to additional charges being imposed on passengers.
Agent Deposit Raises Questions
The scale of the problem is significant, with around 1.25 crore citizens having registered for NCMC cards, while many eligible passengers are still waiting for their cards.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has acknowledged complaints regarding difficulties in obtaining the cards and allegations of overcharging. He said corrective measures were being taken, but added that a decision on extending the deadline had to be taken at some point.
A senior citizen travelling from Borivali to Pune recently highlighted another anomaly. He was asked to pay the full ₹705 fare on a Shivneri bus after being told that an NCMC card was mandatory. However, while booking his next journey online, he found that the senior citizen concession was available after entering his age and passenger details.
“The NCMC scheme is good, but its implementation has several shortcomings. Citizens are facing difficulties, raising questions about the planning behind the rollout,” said Shrirang Barge, general secretary, Maharashtra ST Employees Congress.
The immediate concern is not just the card, but the lack of uniformity. If concession rules differ between buses, counters and online bookings, the system risks penalising the very passengers it is meant to benefit.
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