New Delhi | Woman passengers will not be able to avail free bus service in Delhi from August 1, as the government has made the 'Pink Saheli' smart card mandatory for such travel, officials said on Friday.

Concerned over the slow adoption of the Pink Saheli card by women commuters, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has also launched a special drive across its buses advising women to get the cards, an official statement said.

"With effect from August 1, pink tickets shall be issued only to those women passengers who have a valid Pink Saheli smart card, which they need to tap at the time of boarding. These passengers will continue to avail free bus service as per the terms of the scheme," the DTC said in its order.

According to officials, it has been decided to gradually phase out the existing paper-based pink ticket and shift to a smart card-based system for availing the benefit of free bus travel.

"The Delhi government is fully committed to ensuring that every eligible woman continues to enjoy free travel in DTC and cluster buses. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to panic. Pink tickets will remain valid till July 31 and from August 1, women possessing the Pink Saheli Smart Card will continue to travel free of cost," Transport Minister Pankaj Singh said.

He said that nearly 15 lakh cards have already been issued and appealed to all women who have not yet obtained the card to do so at the earliest.

"From August 1, women passengers who do not have a Pink Saheli card shall not be issued pink tickets and shall be required to purchase normal tickets by paying the applicable fare for travelling in DTC and DoT (Cluster) buses," the order said.

The Delhi government has set up 50 authorised centres across the city to facilitate the issuance of Pink Saheli smart cards, the order said.

"All eligible women under the scheme may obtain the Pink Saheli smart card from the notified centres, counters as per the directions issued by the transport department and DTC from time to time," it added.

Highlighting the rationale behind the transition, Singh said the shift from paper tickets to the NCMC-enabled Pink Saheli Smart Card would help streamline the implementation of the scheme and strengthen transparency in the system while ensuring uninterrupted benefits to women commuters.