Bengaluru Metro launches daily smart cards & unlimited travel

Bengaluru Metro commuters can now travel unlimited with introduction of daily and three-day passes, being issued from this Ugadi, April 2.

Published on: Mar 31, 2022, 10:42:36 IST

By Yamini C S

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Metro commuters are in for a good news as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has decided to launch one-day and three-day passes on Udagi in a major policy change. The BMRCL will reportedly also refund unclaimed amounts on online smart cards.

Bengaluru Metro introduces daily and 3-day passes. (Twitter/MelbinMathew21)

The one-day passes will be priced at Rs. 200, while the three-day passes will be priced at Rs. 400, an official release stated. The passes will allow commuters unlimited travel in Namma Metro for three days from the date of purchase. Commuters will need to pay a refundable security deposit of Rs. 50 for both of the passes.

These passes will be available in form of a returnable smart card, and can be bought by passengers at the station ticket counters. They will have to be returned for a refund of the Rs. 50 security deposit.

The three-day passes, when compared to the daily pass for BMTC's Vajra buses are costlier when divided by three days. The three-day metro pass costs Rs. 133.33 per day whereas the BMTC's daily passes for Vajra buses costs Rs. 100, after the price cut last year.

Metro officials were hesitant to introduce the concept of daily or monthly passes in the past, citing that such policy decisions can be taken by the board only after the completion of Phase 2.

By this change in policy, BMRCL officials hope to increase daily ridership as the Namma Metro has recorded an average daily ridership of 2.97 lakh riders for the month of February 2022, far below the pre-COVID levels when officials counted 4.5 lakh riders every day.

Commuters can also get refunds on the recharge of smart cards if they are unable to update the balance amount on their smart cards within 15 days. The recharges done online through the website or the mobile apps can be updated by tapping at the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates after one hour, and within seven days from the time of recharge.

Updates can also be done at Card Top-up Terminals any time within 15 days from the time of recharge. Refunds will be done with a deduction of cancellation fee of 2.5% of the recharge amount, through the same channel commuters have used for top-ups.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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