‘Pink tickets valid’: DTC clarifies amid Saheli cards rush in Delhi

The DTC said the existing paper ticket will not be discontinued until a significant number of eligible women beneficiaries convert to the pink smart cards.

With the distribution of the pink Saheli cards — meant to replace the pink tickets currently used by women to travel for free on Delhi buses — descending into chaos in several centres, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) on Friday assured women that they can continue to use the pink paper tickets on DTC buses.

Women in waiting for " SAHELI PINK SMART CARD" distribution counter at Kashmere Gate DTC Gate Pass Section , in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Hindustan Times)

In a statement issued on Friday, the DTC clarified that the existing paper ticket will not be discontinued until a significant number of eligible women beneficiaries convert to the pink smart cards.

“Women commuters are advised not to worry or rush, as the pink Saheli cards distribution will continue smoothly over time...women can continue to travel on DTC buses using the existing pink paper tickets...once it is assessed that most eligible women have received the smart card, the government will gradually replace the existing paper ticket system,” the DTC said in a statement.

No cut-off date has been announced for discontinuing paper tickets. The smart card can be used by women to travel on all DTC and cluster buses, and they can get these cards recharged at Delhi Metro and RRTS stations.

The pink Saheli cards were launched by the Delhi government on March 2 and their distribution began on March 3 through 50 designated DTC centres, which operate from 9am to 5pm daily, including weekends. The new QR code-based card is set to replace the existing paper tickets. However, chaos unfolded at most centres as more women turned up to get their cards made after the Holi break.

HT carried out a spot check this Tuesday and Wednesday at six centres — the commissioner’s office in east Delhi, Kashmere Gate, Burari depot, and pass issuing sections in Jamia, Nehru Place and Hauz Khas — and found that women were hassled due to a limited number of tokens, restricted time windows for token distribution, delays in processing and a shortage of staff.

Most women had reached these centres either after taking a day off from work or after leaving their children unattended at home, and the delays further upset them.

Forty-two-year-old Babli Srivastava, who works as a house help in Hauz Khas, said she was unaware about the token system and so she had no option but to return and come back early the next day.

“I worked a half day today as I had to get the card made. But when I reached here around 2pm, I was told that the tokens were over,” said Srivastava. “I wasn’t aware that we need to get tokens and that there’s a certain time frame during which to get tokens,” she added.

A DTC official clarified that the Aadhar is required for verification purpose only; once that is completed, the beneficiary can get the card linked to a different or a new number.

“The pink card can be issued on other phone numbers as well. The number linked to Aadhaar is only required for verification purpose—once the verification through OTP sent to the registered number is done, the beneficiary can share another contact for registration of pink card,” said the official.

Many women flagged delays due to a shortage of staff, which made the process more tiresome. For 18-year-old Maliha Ali, whose Aadhaar card is linked to her mother’s phone number, the process turned out to be an uphill task. At the centre, she was informed that only one of them could get the card issued.

“When I got my Aadhaar card made years ago, I didn’t have a phone and even today I give my parents’ number for official work. At the centre, we were told that only one pink Saheli card can be issued per phone number, but both our Aadhaar cards are linked to the same number,” said Ali.

“Since I travel to school regularly, we decided that I should get it first,” added Ali, who waited nearly three hours at the Jamia pass section with token number 145.

Kusum Trivedi faced a similar situation at the Burari depot. “When I got my Aadhaar card made, I didn’t have a phone. My two children and I got our cards made after linking them to my husband’s number,” Trivedi said.

A staff at the Burari DTC depot said they are ensuring that cards are distributed in an orderly manner.

“We are constantly telling people that there’s no rush. We have told students that they don’t need to miss classes or their ongoing exams tollect the cards; they can come on weekends,” the official added. “We have two card activation counters and if needed, we will add one more.”

Many also complained that there were no arrangements to assist elderly women and persons with physical disabilities.

“My 26-year-old daughter is mentally challenged and cannot stand in a queue for long,” said 62-year-old Seema Parveen at the east Delhi commissioner’s office. “I take her to hospitals on the bus, so it’s important to get our cards made,” Parveen, a single mother, said.