Mumbai I: Single card for all public transport in a month

Mumbai's commuters can look forward to two major upgrades in the city's transportation system — a single card that integrates various modes of transport, including suburban rail travel; and the addition of 238 air-conditioned (AC) trains to the suburban railway network.

- Shashank Rao

MUMBAI:

These two features, among many other infrastructure upgrades, were announced at a media meet addressed by Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday. Here's what commuters can expect:

Mumbai 1 card

In a major step towards making commuting in Mumbai seamless, Fadnavis said the state government will soon introduce a single card for public transportation in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Called 'Mumbai 1', the card will facilitate travel and allow commuters to book tickets on the Mumbai metro, monorail, suburban local trains and public buses. Integrating the two suburban railways into the system is a big step.

The card, which allows tickets to be booked via a software application, is already in use on Metro rail lines 1, 2A and 7. The state government and railway ministry are in the final stages of upgrading it to include other modes of public transport. It will be introduced in a month, according to Fadnavis.

The Mumbai 1 card is a co-branded, prepaid card issued by the State Bank of India and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. It is designed for contactless payments and allows users to 'tap and go' with a stored value that can be used across metro stations and bus routes.