Delhi extends paper pink tickets for women bus passengers to August 31

Women travelling free on Delhi’s DTC and cluster buses can keep using paper-based pink tickets until August 31, giving them a further two weeks to obtain a Pink Saheli smart card.

The paper-ticket system had been scheduled to end on August 15, with the smart card becoming mandatory from the following day. The transport department has extended the arrangement to allow more passengers time to shift to the card-based system.

About 18 lakh Pink Saheli cards have been distributed in Delhi so far. The government plans to eventually end paper tickets for women passengers and move fully to the smart card.

Fifty authorised centres have been set up across the city to issue the cards. Officials have also been asked to publicise the facility through announcements at bus depots and inside buses, alongside social-media and print campaigns.

For now, women who have not received a Pink Saheli card can continue to use paper pink tickets until August 31.