The Karnataka government is set to roll out smart cards for beneficiaries of its flagship Shakti scheme, which provides free travel for women on non-premium State-run buses, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, with women continuing to enjoy free travel benefits and receiving the cards free of cost.

Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh said on Monday that the government was in the final stages of preparing the framework for issuing smart cards to more than two crore women who are eligible for free bus travel under the Shakti scheme.

Addressing reporters after a meeting with senior officials of the Transport Department, Mr. Suresh said that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) would be constituted to oversee the implementation and distribution of the cards. He said a “Transaction Advisory Committee has been appointed to finalise the smart card framework and guide transport corporations on technical requirements, tendering procedures and the distribution mechanism.”

“The committee is expected to submit its report by the end of this month. Based on its recommendations, the government will initiate the tender process for the large-scale issuance of smart cards,” Mr. Suresh said.

Mr. Suresh further said that the smart card project would be implemented under a PPP model. Women beneficiaries would receive the cards free of cost. The State government would bear the processing costs for cards issued to women, while the selected private partner would provide technical support and manage related operational services, he said.

According to preliminary estimates, the transport corporations may require between 2.5 crore and 3 crore smart cards when both women and male passengers are taken into account.

“The proposed smart card system is expected to streamline ticketing and passenger verification across Karnataka’s State-run transport services. This will improve service delivery and enable better management of passenger data,” Mr. Suresh said.

Currently, women passengers avail free travel under the Shakti scheme by presenting a valid government-issued identity card to the conductor and obtaining a zero-fare ticket. However, officials said that there have been cases of misuse, including the use of invalid or duplicate identity documents to claim the benefit.

The Shakti scheme, launched on June 11, 2023, as the first of the Congress government’s five guarantee schemes, provides free travel for eligible passengers on non-premium services operated by State transport corporations. The scheme has since grown into one of Karnataka’s most popular welfare initiatives and was recognised by the Golden Book of World Records for recording the highest number of women beneficiaries availing free travel under a public transport programme.

During the review meeting, the department discussed plans to induct more electric buses into the fleets of the State’s four transport corporations. Mr. Suresh said that over 4,000 electric buses would be procured in phases as part of the government’s efforts to promote environmentally sustainable public transport.