Delhi’s Pink Saheli card glitches leave women commuters and DTC conductors in a fix

Women travelling in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses are facing difficulties because Pink Saheli smart cards, meant to provide free travel, are malfunctioning in several cases. Some commuters say their cards do not link with the Electronic Ticketing Machine (ETM), which displays a “check validity” prompt. They are being directed to depots to get the cards replaced, often after paying ₹60.

The Delhi government introduced the Pink Saheli smart cards in March this year and made them mandatory for women to access free travel on DTC buses. Paper pink tickets were officially supposed to be discontinued on October 1. But because some cards are not working and instructions differ from depot to depot, conductors are unsure whether to issue paper tickets, print a machine-generated free ticket, or ask women to pay the fare.

Commuters question the replacement fee. Under the rules, the fee applies when a card is lost or damaged. Several women say their cards never worked properly, so they should not have to pay. Raunak, a student at Delhi University’s Deshbandhu College, said her card worked in some buses and not in others. “I had to get a new card made after paying the amount. However, as per rules, you are supposed to pay this fee if you have lost your card or the card is damaged. Why should I pay if the original card never worked properly? Shouldn’t it be replaced free of cost?” she said.

Another student, Antara, said her card never worked. She too was asked to get a new one. “The staff at Netaji Subhash Place depot said I might have damaged it, spilled water on it accidentally. That never happened. Why can’t they check the cards before dispensing them?” she said. The reduction in card-issuing hubs from 70 to 38 across the city has also led to long queues, adding to the inconvenience.

DTC conductors are caught in the middle. The DTC Karamchari Ekta Union has written to DTC Managing Director Niharika Rai seeking clarification on pink tickets and the use of smart cards. The union said instructions from officials at different depots and from checking staff were inconsistent. In some cases, conductors are told to issue a manual pink ticket if the ETM malfunctions. In others, they are told to print a machine-generated “free ticket” without a valid card.

The union complained that these inconsistencies are resulting in conductors being held responsible. Some depots have demanded a recall of all manually issued pink tickets, while others have prompted reports against conductors, the letter said. A conductor from Manglapuri depot said the ETMs do not always capture the card properly. “The fault could be with the machines, but they work without cards also. We have no option but to ask women to pay, as otherwise we would be held responsible,” the conductor said.

The problems point to a gap between the scheme’s stated aim—free travel for women on DTC buses—and its day-to-day operation. Women are being asked to pay for replacement cards they say were faulty from the start, while conductors say they lack clear and uniform instructions. Until the technical and administrative issues are resolved, commuters and bus staff are bearing the cost of the confusion.