Ahmedabad: Since April 2017, Janmitra Cards were introduced for passengers traveling on BRTS buses. However, for the past six months, BRTS has stopped issuing new Janmitra Cards, causing inconvenience to commuters. Due to the unavailability of new cards, people are now forced to stand in queues to buy tickets. In the coming days, BRTS plans to issue travel passes instead of smart cards.

Janmarg Limited operates BRTS buses on various routes across the city. When the Janmitra Cards were first introduced, they helped passengers avoid the hassle of buying tickets for every ride. The company that was contracted to issue these cards reportedly failed to resolve technical issues, leading to the termination of their contract six months ago, according to reliable sources. As a result, new cards are not being issued — only old cards can be recharged.

Earlier, passengers who used smart cards were given a 40% discount. Since new cards are no longer being issued, people are missing out on this discount. However, the benefits that were available with the Janmitra Cards will be retained when the new travel passes are introduced.