Passengers using metro services in the Indian city of Chennai will soon be able to make contactless fare payments with their open loop National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) rather than with a prepaid transit card.

Chennai Metro is to phase out support for closed loop prepaid smart cards and encourage passengers to pay for their journeys with their NCMC card that is linked directly to their bank account and which can be used to make fare payments on metro and bus services in other India cities.

Passengers will also still be able to buy QR code tickets on WhatsApp, Paytm and the Chennai Metro app, according to a report by The Times of India.

“While prepaid smartcards, which is also called a closed loop card that can be used only in metro stations and their parking lots in the city, NCMC is an open loop card which is linked to bank accounts and can be used for metro train rides in many cities and for shopping,” the report adds.

“Officials said many commuters refused to purchase smartcards as they do not use metro services daily and their money gets locked in the cards as cash is pre-loaded.

“With NCMC, commuters can use it like a debit card.”

Delhi revealed plans in January to roll out NCMC-compatible contactless fare payments on the Indian capital’s buses.

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