National Common Mobility Card

National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is an open-loop, inter-operable transport card conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘One Nation, One Card' vision. It was launched on 4 March 2019. The transport card enables the user to pay for travel, toll tax, retail shopping and withdraw money.

It is enabled through the RuPay card mechanism. The NCMC card is issuable as a prepaid, debit, or credit RuPay card from partnered banks such as the State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, and others.

History

In late 2010, the Government of India envisioned a scheme wherein seamless access could be granted to public transport networks. The system, which later came to be known as Interoperable Fare Management System (IFMS), aimed to let passengers pay across different public transport platforms using one system. This was created as an effort to bring together the public transport system of the country under one umbrella. By making it accessible to every individual in every city, the government aimed to increase ease of access for public transport. The project is also structured in such a way so as to include customers across a wide variety of socioeconomic strata. An additional focus was also put on reducing the transaction time to the minimum, so as to make the payment experience as seamless as possible. It is also structured in such a way so as to reduce the financial risk to the stakeholders involved in the effort. It is designated as an EMV-based Open Loop Payments system.

The NCMC is indigenously developed and is part of Make In India project. It was first conceptualized in 2006 as part of the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP). A previous attempt to develop a similar national mobility card led to the development of the More Card. Given its lack of seamless functioning across the nation, Venkaiah Naidu, the then Minister of Urban Development, set up a committee to recommend a card which is inter-operable across different transport systems in the country.

The urban development ministry brought in the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) with the task of management, clearing and settlement of payments, simulating cards and terminals and maintenance of network. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has created the reader prototype.

On 8 April 2019, ''The Economic Times'' reported that Visa was seeking to issue National Common Mobility Cards. Visa announced that it had launched specifications to support the NCMC on 13 May 2019. Visa is ready with the specifications to start issuing cards on the NCMC network and has started discussions with banks to issue their cards on NCMC as well, but it will take some time for the cards to start getting rolled out in the market. Mastercard stated on 22 May 2019 that 15 Indian banks were at "various stages of signing up" for its NCMC. Mastercard is all set to join the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) scheme, just weeks after its biggest competitor Visa said it planned to enter the programme as per Vikas Varma, senior vice-president, account management for South Asia at Mastercard.

Technical details

The NCMC terminal works in a contactless manner using Near Field Communication (NFC). It is an open-loop system i.e. it works with compatible cards from any bank or issuer and does not need a user to buy a specific card. The transaction is fully offline i.e. the terminal does not communicate with bank servers to fetch the balance nor is the PIN required.

Normally, a debit/ATM card with a chip is usable at ATMs or Pos Machines by inserting it into the machine and entering the PIN. Recent versions of such cards support contactless transactions using NFC. This method allows transactions up to a certain limit (usually ₹5000 in India) without entering the PIN and up to the same limit as insert-chip method after entering the PIN. This process is online and is initiated by the machine the card is put near to, i.e., the machine communicates with the bank server to fetch the balance and the amount is deducted from the bank account.

Recent versions of such cards have an offline wallet feature as well which leverages NFC to make transactions fully offline without the need of PIN. The transaction limit is lower usually ₹200 per transaction and the wallet can store up to ₹2000. The wallet can be recharged by regular banking channels (Debit Card/Credit Card/ Net Banking), Bharat Bill Payment System or approaching the public transport counter with cash. It can also be topped up using the same card's chip feature which will deduct the amount from the same card's linked bank account. After the transfer is done, the offline wallet needs to perform Balance Update transaction to sync the balance. This is a one time activity and can be done at the designated Transport Operator/Terminal.

This means that the same card can be used at:

* ATMs with insert method which will debit the money from the linked bank account.
* IF NFC transactions are enabled on the card:
** PoS machines in shops, banks, cafes without PIN for smaller transactions, and with PIN for larger transactions.
** IF the user has activated the offline wallet for the card, has done the card topup and has performed the balance update transaction:
*** Metro gates, public transport buses, parking, etc., without PIN for small transactions.

Since enabling NFC for offline NCMC wallet also enabled NFC for online PoS machines, there is a risk of unauthorized transaction on a stolen card. Thus the limit of online NFC transactions should be kept low to prevent transactions without PIN. And the card should be blocked promptly. However, the amount on a stolen NCMC wallet cannot be blocked since the transaction is fully offline.

On 1 August 2024, RBL Bank announced integration of National Common Mobility Card and UPI capabilities with RuPay credit cards.

Implementation

Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) is planning to implement the ambitious scheme in Mumbai suburban railway network in a step towards an integrated ticketing system (ITS).

In certain cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, adoption of NCMC by users of transport systems was slow due to a lack of integration across different modes of transport and parking payments. At the end of 2022, Kolkata had still not seen NCMC deployment in any of its transport modes.

Rajya Sabha was informed on 4 December 2023 that Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will introduce Open Loop National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC) in a phased manner which will replace the current Closed Loop Delhi Metro Smart Cards. In July 2023, Government of India directed banks to issue NCMC-compliant cards by default to customers.

On January 2, 2024, Bank of Baroda announced the introduction of the NCMC RuPay Reloadable Prepaid Card. On February 5, 2024, Federal Bank introduced dual-interface RuPay Debit cards with NCMC integration. For NCMC usage, the maximum top-up limit for the card balance is ₹2,000.

Bangaluru Metro Rail Corporation intends to gradually replace its closed-loop contactless smartcards with the National Common Mobility Card. Due to the easing of the RBI KYC mandate, AGS Transact Technologies, which is in charge of implementing the NCMC project in Bengaluru, anticipates that the backend process will be prepared for the rollout of NCMCs without KYC verification by the first week of March 2024.

The NCMC and FASTag will be incorporated into the e-mandate framework by the RBI from June 2024 to facilitate and ease the process for users to top off their accounts.

The NCMC service is about to be introduced in Himachal Pradesh. The State Bank of India (SBI) and the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) will work together to launch this service on September 5, 2024. Passengers will be able to use the NCMC card to pay for fare on HRTC buses as well as metro services in places like Bangalore and Delhi. From August 16, 2024, Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) will offer NCMC service with five percent reduction on the base passenger fare to promote cashless travel. The Chalo App will help users recharge the card balance.

Bharat Bill Payment System integration

The National Common Mobility Card has been integrated into the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) through a partnership between NPCI and SBI. The SBI NCMC for Noida Metro, Nagpur Metro, MMRDA Line 2A and Line 7, Chennai Metro, Kanpur Metro, and Parliament Canteen is operational on BBPS. Customers can top up their cards with up to ₹10,000 online with the addition of NCMC Recharge in the biller category. To update the balance after the recharge, users need to tap their NCMC on the terminal.

NCMC Smartwatch

At the Global Fintech Fest 2024, Airtel Payments Bank, in collaboration with Noise and the NPCI, launched a smartwatch that incorporates RuPay chip embedded in the dial, enabling direct payments. Tap-and-pay transactions are made easier by the smartwatch's support for National Common Mobility Card technology. Users can pay at a variety of retail sites and public transportation hubs, including as bus stops, metro stations, and parking lots. Users may choose between contactless purchases and monthly passes on the device, as well as handle transportation concessions. A PIN is required to conduct transactions over ₹5,000, whereas transactions under this amount can be performed without one. According to the revised RBI guidelines, Ongo Ride prepaid card does not require complete KYC in order to make transit payments.

Offline support

In order to provide a smooth, offline payment option for all NCMC-enabled transit projects, such as metro rails, buses, ferries, tolls, and parking throughout India, the State Bank of India released the MTS RuPay NCMC prepaid card on August 30, 2024. Travelers can now easily make payments, even in places with spotty internet access.

Concerns

In Guwahati, the NCMC was introduced on January 1, 2024. However, before the card can be made publicly available, there are issues with its rollout that need to be resolved. Initially it is available at limited locations such as the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) counter at Paltan Bazar, ASTC counter at the Inter State Bus Terminal, the Rupnagar ASTC Yard, and the ASTC Kiosk at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Essential documents like an Aadhaar, an Aadhaar-linked phone number, and an OTP verification are also needed for the card's issuance as part of the Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement.

Due to poor adoption rate, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) removed KYC requirement for NCMC with a ₹3,000 limit as of February 23, 2024. This should make it possible for more of these cards to be issued and used.

Acceptance

According to Mumbai Metro, as of December 14, 2023, all fare collection gates on the stations along the Line 1, Line 2, and Line 7 have been upgraded to be NCMC compliant.

Commencing in June 2024, commuters of Chennai Metro and other NCMC holders are also able to pay for and ride on Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses. According to the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority, discussions are already taking place with the Southern Railway zone authorities on implementing the NCMC in trains as well in the near future.

Ongo, the digital payments platform o
AGS Transact Technologies
has introduced an instant National Common Mobility Card 'Ongo Ride' in conjunction with the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on 14 August 2024. At 12 CMRL metro stations in Chennai, Ongo has installed special card dispensers with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) feature to enable these ready-to-use Ongo Ride cards. By integrating payments at parking lots and toll booths with multiple modes of transportation, such as metros, buses, and water ferries, Ongo Ride provides commuters with a single, integrated payment solution.

The following public transport systems in the country currently accept fare payments via the National Common Mobility Card, with many more public transport operators across the country in various stages of planning/implementation to accept NCMC as a mode of payment over the next few years.

References

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Contactless smart cards
Fare collection systems
Public transport in India
Debit cards
Credit cards in India
Modi administration initiatives
Ministry of Urban Development
2019 establishments in India