Delhi Metro smart cards to become non-refundable from April 1
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has decided to make its smart cards non-refundable in accordance with the guidelines of Reserve Bak of India.
If you have metro smart cards that you would like to get refunded, you may want to do it soon. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has said that all its cards, both new and those in circulation, will become non refundable from the beginning of April this year.
“The passengers will be given a sunset period from March 1 to 31, during which the passengers, if they so desire, may take refund for their smart cards from the Metro stations,” reads an official statement released on Tuesday.
After April 1, only the security deposit, after deduction of relevant charges, will be returned to the customer upon surrendering the card. The recharge amount has also been capped at Rs 2000.
According to the statement, this move is “in order to comply with the guidelines/directives of Reserve Bank of India and also for making Metro Smart Card interoperable.”
DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said that for “closed loop” cards, like the Metro smart card, it is mandated by the RBI that they be non-refundable.
“This is ahead of trying to make the card interoperable, so that people can use the same card to pay for metros, buses, and even parking lots in the future,” he said. The DMRC is currently in talks with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and other stakeholders to make the card interoperable.
All other rules and regulations regarding the cards remain unchanged.