Delhi Metro steadily phases out ‘One’ cards as NCMC use rises

Officials said DMRC is prioritising NCMC cards over the older closed-loop metro cards as part of the Centre’s “One Nation, One Card” initiative, launched in 2019, to create a unified mobility payment system across the country

The Delhi Metro is moving towards making the national common mobility cards (NCMC) the most widely used smart card across its network, gradually nudging out the conventional Metro “One” card, said officials. According to data shared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), over 92% of all smart cards sold in April 2026 were NCMC-enabled.

Since the cards are issued by banks as RuPay debit or prepaid cards, they can also be used for shopping, ATM withdrawals, toll payments and parking transactions. (Representational image)

The data showed that while 3.88 million NCMC cards were sold last year, 1.25 million such cards have already been issued till the end of April this year. “In April alone, NCMC cards accounted for 92.22% of all smart card sales, underlining the agency’s growing push towards the interoperable payment system,” a DMRC official said.

Officials said DMRC is prioritising NCMC cards over the older closed-loop metro cards as part of the Centre’s “One Nation, One Card” initiative, launched in 2019, to create a unified mobility payment system across the country.

Unlike conventional metro cards that work only on the Metro network, NCMC cards can be used across different modes of transport, including buses and metro systems in multiple cities.

“Since the cards are issued by banks as RuPay debit or prepaid cards, they can also be used for shopping, ATM withdrawals, toll payments and parking transactions. Gradually, the older “One” cards will be phased out; however, those still using them can continue to use and recharge them,” the official quoted above said.

DMRC officials said the system was first introduced on the Airport Express Line in December 2020 before being expanded in phases across the network. This required the replacement and upgrade of more than 3,000 automatic fare collection gates.

“Gradually, the remaining network was also upgraded with NCMC-compliant AFC gates even in the midst of Covid-induced limitations. The entire DMRC network was made NCMC compliant on June 5, 2023,” the DMRC official said.

The development comes even as commuters have been enquiring about the availability of “One” cards at stations. Ashutosh Pathak, a commuter, recently posted on X seeking to know which metro stations had “One” cards available, as he did not want to be forced to purchase other smart cards.

In response, the DMRC said NCMC cards are common cards accepted across various transit systems in India. “All banks’ NCMC cards are accepted in the DMRC network/Airport Line. Owing to this, DMRC cards are less in circulation…” the reply said.

Metro officials added that while no KYC is required if the card is used as a prepaid transit card, minimum KYC norms apply if it is activated as a debit card.

The latest push towards NCMC cards also follows DMRC’s recent partnership with Airtel payments bank to launch co-branded RuPay “On-The-Go” cards enabled with NCMC, as announced on May 10.

“DMRC will continue to further promote the sale of NCMC cards going forward,” said Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications, DMRC.