The free Janmitra smart cards, once very useful for daily commuters in Ahmedabad, are no longer being issued by the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC), causing inconvenience to thousands of BRTS users. These cards allowed people to pay civic taxes and buy BRTS tickets without cash.
The cards were first launched in April 2017 for BRTS commuters and offered a 40% discount on fares. But for the last six months, new cards have not been issued, and passengers are again standing in long queues to buy tickets.
According to officials, Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (which runs the BRTS service) stopped issuing new cards because the private company managing them failed to fix technical problems. As a result, their contract was cancelled. Only existing Janmitra cards can still be recharged and used.
Authorities have said that new travel passes will soon replace Janmitra cards, and the same discount benefits will be offered with them.