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Karnataka Floats Smart Card Tender for Shakti Scheme Amidst Rs 5,651 Cr Debt to RTCs
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Moneycontrol•29-09-2026, 06:22
Karnataka Floats Smart Card Tender for Shakti Scheme Amidst Rs 5,651 Cr Debt to RTCs
- •Karnataka plans to introduce smart cards for its Shakti free bus travel scheme beneficiaries, aiming to verify eligibility and streamline reimbursements.
- •The state government currently owes Rs 5,651 crore to the four Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) for the Shakti scheme, impacting their operations and staff payments.
- •A tender has been floated for a system integrator to implement a statewide interoperable smart ticketing system covering KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC.
- •The new system will generate digital records for every Shakti journey, capturing detailed information to resolve disputes over reimbursement claims.
- •The project aims to create a single ticketing platform supporting Shakti cards, stored-value smart cards, mobile tickets, QR codes, and NCMC, with future interoperability with Namma Metro and K-RIDE.
Key Questions Answered
The state government owes around Rs 5,651 crore in outstanding reimbursements to the four state transport corporations for the Shakti scheme.
The first phase will cover around one crore women and cost the state about Rs 250 crore to issue the Shakti smart cards.
The Shakti scheme, which allows eligible women to travel free on non-AC state-run buses, was launched on June 11, 2023.
