The digital travel card has become a hit among bus commuters, with nearly 50,000 cards sold so far, says an official.
| Photo Credit: VEDHAN M
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The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) plans to launch the sale of Singara Chennai Card in buses in the coming weeks.
The Singara Chennai Card, designed under the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) platform, has become popular among bus commuters for the seamless purchase of MTC as well as metro train tickets.
A senior official of the MTC says the digital travel card has become a hit among bus commuters, with nearly 50,000 cards sold so far.
The MTC, having launched both the digital travel card and online purchase of tickets through electronic ticketing machines, registers a daily digital transaction of 1 lakh bus tickets.
At present, the Singara Chennai Cards are being sold only in a few bus depots and termini. So, to make them easily available, it has been proposed to sell them through bus conductors, similar to how one-day passes were previously sold.
The card is issued by the State Bank of India as well as Airtel. For it to be sold through conductors, Orbit wallet has entered the bandwagon.
The MTC official said the cards to be issued through bus conductors have been tested, and they would be distributed by the first week of next month.
M. Sivasankaran, a commuter who uses the NCMC card, said while a section of conductors accept the digital travel card without hesitation, online ticketing is not a welcome process, especially during peak hours, due to the delay in purchase.
The official said there were some problems with regard to online digital payment, and so, NCMC cards alone were planned to be sold through bus conductors.
The digital travel cards are made available at bus stations, including Koyambedu, Broadway, Central Railway Station, Tambaram, Poonamallee, Thiruvanmiyur, Red Hills, Velachery, Guindy, Avadi, T. Nagar, Ambattur, Ambattur OT, and Adyar.
Published – August 23, 2025 12:29 am IST
