Mumbai’s BEST to Launch Pan-India National Common Mobility Card Today

The card will have RuPay, which is valid at most NCMC-compliant establishments across the country.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday will launch a pan-India BEST (Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport) card that will be valid for any travel or purchases across the country and not just in the city’s red buses. BEST will be the first bus transport undertaking in the country to sell its own NCMC (National Common Mobility Card).

Announcing the launch of the NCMC card last week, BEST general manager Lokesh Chandra said the card will be valid for any travel or purchases pan-India. A person can take the NCMC card of BEST available for an introductory price of Rs 100 and use it for travel in Delhi Metro. One can also purchase groceries, buy from a retail showroom, and use it as a debit card across the country.

“The card will have RuPay, which is valid at most NCMC-compliant establishments across the country. One can top it up online or with our bus conductor and this will be part of One Card One Nation,” he said.

BEST has already made its system NCMC-compliant in March, and this means that anybody having a common mobility card issued from any bank across the country can use it in BEST buses. An official said that after purchasing the NCMC card from BEST, commuters will soon be able to purchase bus passes, with 72 different options, through the same card. The NCMC card will also have the tap-in and tap-out facility in the 100% digital buses which were introduced by environment minister Aaditya Thackeray earlier last week.