Pink Saheli Smart Card Mandatory From August 1: How To Apply, Benefits Explained

Published 10 July 2026 · local

Pink Saheli Smart Card Mandatory From August 1: How To Apply, Benefits Explained Published By, Last Updated: July 10, 2026, 15:00 IST DTC's free travel

Pink Saheli Smart Card Mandatory From August 1: How To Apply, Benefits Explained Published By, Last Updated: July 10, 2026, 15:00 IST DTC's free travel scheme for women goes fully digital from August 1 as paper pink tickets are phased out. Here's how to get the Saheli Pink Smart Card and how it works. DTC has advised women passengers not to worry and to collect their Pink Saheli smart cards whenever they become available at the designated counters. Women travelling on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses will need to mandatorily carry and tap a “Pink Saheli Smart Card" to continue availing free bus travel from August 1, under a decision by the Rekha Gupta government. The move phases out the existing paper-based pink ticket system that has been in use since 2019. According to a DTC circular, paper pink tickets will continue to be issued to eligible women passengers only till July 31.

From August 1, free travel will be available exclusively to women carrying a valid Pink Saheli Smart Card (NCMC), which must be tapped while boarding DTC and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS)-operated cluster buses. Passengers without the card will have to pay the regular fare. How Is The New Smart Card Different From The Old Paper Ticket? The old system required women to approach the bus conductor on every single ride to collect a paper ticket — a process authorities found slow, manual and prone to misuse. The Pink Saheli Smart Card digitises this entirely: it’s a personalised NCMC (Common Mobility Card) carrying the woman’s photo and a unique QR code, so it only needs to be tapped once while boarding, similar to how a metro card works. This also allows DTC to track ridership data more accurately and prevent duplicate or unauthorised use.

How Do I Apply For The Pink Saheli Smart Card, And Where? The card can be obtained at over 50 authorised distribution centres across Delhi — including DTC depots, SDM offices, and dedicated camps — open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. Applicants need to carry an original Aadhaar card with a Delhi address (photocopies aren’t accepted), along with a registered mobile number; some centres also ask for passport-sized photographs. After Aadhaar-based biometric or OTP verification, the card is issued on the spot. Some centres have also introduced a QR-code-based system to skip queues: applicants scan a QR code, fill in a short online form with their name, address and Aadhaar number, and get a digital token to show at the counter for instant card collection. (details to follow) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Sumedha Kirti Sumedha Kirti is a Chief Sub Editor with over eight years of experience — both at the desk and reporting.