Shimla – In a major move towards modernizing its services, the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) is set to introduce plastic cards for passengers travelling on concessional and free passes. The new cards, named RIDF, will replace the current paper passes and will be equipped with the facility to be swiped in the ticketing machines used by bus operators. This initiative aims to streamline record-keeping and prevent fraud by ensuring that every passenger travelling on concessional or free passes is accounted for.
The RIDF card, similar to the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), will be used by students, police personnel, Divyangjans, and other categories eligible for concessional travel, including those benefiting from the Green Card scheme. According to HRTC’s Managing Director, Rohan Chand Thakur, this move is part of a broader effort to modernize the corporation and reduce its financial losses, which currently stand at ₹1,650 crore.
The new system, approved by the HRTC Board of Directors, is expected to launch on the 20th of this month. Once implemented, the plastic cards will provide the corporation with daily data on how many people travel on concessional passes and in which categories, such as students or cancer patients. This data will help the corporation seek accurate grants from the government, which subsidizes these concessional travels. Currently, HRTC provides approximately ₹45 to ₹50 lakh in daily concessions.
The corporation hopes that by having a complete and transparent record, cases of fraud will be eliminated. “Many cases of fraudulent use of concessional passes have been reported, and this new system will bring transparency,” said Thakur. The shift to plastic cards is expected to improve efficiency and accountability within the transport system, benefiting both the corporation and passengers alike.
