New Delhi: Regular Namo Bharat commuters travelling between the same two stations can now buy multiple trips in advance instead of purchasing tickets or recharging their NCMC cards repeatedly, with the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) introducing a new Trip Pass facility.
The facility is aimed at making daily travel easier for commuters who regularly travel between a fixed source and destination. Namo Bharat currently serves more than 1.1 lakh commuters every day, the corporation said in a statement on Tuesday.
For example, a commuter travelling regularly from Sarai Kale Khan to Modipuram can purchase a Trip Pass for the route and use it for multiple journeys without making a separate transaction for each trip.
The Trip Pass can be loaded onto an National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) and the applicable trip is automatically deducted when the passenger travels between the selected source and destination stations. It can also be used multiple times in a day, provided the passenger travels between the same stations for which the pass was purchased, it said.
According to NCRTC, the facility is available for both Standard and Premium coaches, with commuters able to choose passes ranging from one to 40 trips depending on their travel frequency.
A one-trip pass is valid for 15 days, while 10-trip passes are valid for 30 days. The 15- and 20-trip passes are valid for 60 days, while the 40-trip pass is valid for 90 days, it mentioned.
The 10-trip passes are non-refundable. The 15, 20 and 40 trip passes can be refunded with a fixed deduction of Rs 200 as an administrative fee.
For instance, a journey between Sarai Kale Khan and Modipuram costs Rs 210 in the Standard Coach and Rs 250 in the Premium Coach. For a commuter making the journey regularly, the NCMC wallet’s Rs 2,000 recharge limit can be exhausted within a few days, making advance purchase of multiple trips more convenient.
The Trip Pass, however, is valid only for the specific source and destination selected at the time of purchase. If a passenger travels between different stations, the regular fare will be deducted from the NCMC card’s Global Wallet, it stated.
For example, if a commuter has a Trip Pass from Sarai Kale Khan to Begumpul but gets off at a station before Begumpul, the applicable lower fare will be deducted from the Global Wallet, provided there is sufficient balance.
Similarly, if the commuter travels beyond Begumpul and the Global Wallet does not have enough balance to cover the additional fare, the passenger will have to recharge the wallet before exiting the station, the statement mentioned.
Namo Bharat commuters can also avail a 10 per cent discount on every journey. Under NCRTC’s loyalty programme, passengers earn one loyalty point for every rupee spent on a journey using an NCMC card. Each loyalty point is worth 10 paise and 300 loyalty points can be redeemed for a free trip, it read.
The Trip Pass can be purchased from counters generally located near the automatic fare collection gates at Namo Bharat stations. Further top-ups can be done at Electronic Fare Collection Offices and ticket vending machines.
The facility is expected to benefit regular commuters, including school and college students, working professionals, businessmen and others who use Namo Bharat frequently for their daily travel, the corporation said.
The NCRTC said the facility is intended to reduce the time spent on routine ticket purchases and card recharges and make daily Namo Bharat travel more convenient, it added.
