Balance transfer to NCMC finds favour among Metro riders

CHENNAI: The facility offered by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) to transfer the balance remaining on its discontinued Contactless Smart Cards (CSC) to either a QR Stored Value Pass (SVP) or a Singara Chennai National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is receiving a positive response from passengers, particularly those who continue to hold old cards with unused balances. CMRL has been encouraging such passengers to migrate to the newer ticketing options.

The NCMC was introduced in April 2023 alongside the older travel card. The move is in line with the broader objective of enabling seamless travel across public transport systems.

Passengers with balance in their old cards can transfer the amount to a QR-based SVP purchased through the CMRL mobile application or to an NCMC, including the Singara Chennai Card. This facility has helped passengers avoid losing access to money already loaded onto their old cards.

“Passengers can transfer the remaining value from the travel card to QR Stored Value Pass (SVP) purchased through CMRL Mobile App or can use NCMC,” said a CMRL staff at Vadapalani Metro station.

A CMRL official said that the migration facility was intended to ensure that passengers with unused balances are not inconvenienced by the withdrawal of the old card system.

The Singara Chennai Card is a contactless prepaid NCMC card that can be used for public transport and, depending on its applicable features, for retail transactions and other payments. CMRL has also urged commuters to safeguard their cards, as balances on lost travel or NCMC cards are not transferable or refundable under its stated policy.