In a major policy decision that may impact thousands of commuters, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Tuesday announced that the metro smart cards will be non-refundable from April 1. The decision has been taken in to comply with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.
According to an estimate, around 70 per cent of the commuters in Delhi, who avail the metro services, use smart cards that enable them to avail a discount of 10 per cent in all their journeys across Delhi-NCR. Earlier, the DMRC allowed commuters to get a refund from the smart cards whenever needed.
According to the statement issued on Tuesday, the DMRC stated, “The decision to stop refund has been taken to comply with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines and also for making metro smart card interoperable.”
DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said that for “closed loop” cards, like the metro smart card, it is mandated by the RBI that they be non-refundable. “This is ahead of trying to make the card interoperable, so that people can use the same card to pay for metros, buses, and even parking lots in the future,” he said. The DMRC is currently in talks with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and other stakeholders to make the card interoperable. The smart cards sold after April 1 and the cards already in circulation will become non-refundable, it said.
The DMRC added that Delhi Metro commuters will get back only the security deposit, after relevant deductions, if they return the smart cards after April 1.
The cardholders will be given a “sunset period” from March 1 till March 31 during which the passengers, if they so desire, may take refund for their smart cards from the Metro stations,” it said.
“The other rules regarding unreadable or card not working shall be dealt as per the existing rules. Recharge up to a maximum value of Rs 2,000 can be done on a smart card,” it further said.