President Droupadi Murmu Launches the Delhi Pink Saheli Smart Card on March 2, 2026 Replacing Paper Pink Slips With an Aadhaar-Verified Digital Pass That Provides Lifetime Free Bus Travel on DTC and Cluster Buses for Women and Transgender Residents of Delhi Aged 5 Years and Above…
For years, Delhi offered women free DTC and Cluster bus travel through a physical paper-based pink slip system that carried a fundamental flaw: it lacked residency verification. Anyone who identified as a woman regardless of whether they lived in Delhi or merely commuted from neighbouring states could claim and use the pink slip on the same bus routes, draining subsidy funds intended exclusively for Delhi residents.
The Pink Saheli Smart Card fixes this structurally. Every card links directly to the applicant’s Aadhaar number and mobile number, confirming gender, age, and critically Delhi residency before the card activates. Each bus journey registers digitally when the cardholder taps the PVC card on the bus’s automatic fare collection terminal, creating a live ridership database that helps DTC optimize routes and audit subsidy usage.
Full Eligibility: Check Every Condition Before Visiting a Centre
The Delhi government designed the eligibility criteria to be deliberately tight and verifiable in real time at the counter. Every single condition must apply partial compliance results in immediate rejection:
- The applicant must be a woman or transgender resident — male applicants do not qualify under any category
- Minimum age: 5 years and above — no upper age ceiling applies
- Must hold Aadhaar with a Delhi address — Aadhaar showing any other state address renders the application ineligible regardless of actual residence
- Must be a permanent resident of Delhi — daily commuters from Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad or any other NCR city do not qualify
- Must carry a valid Voter ID or Aadhaar card at the time of card issuance
- Must provide an active mobile number — the counter staff link this number to the card for future verification and usage tracking
What the Pink Saheli Card Actually Offers
The card delivers two distinct use cases on one single PVC chip-and-QR compliant card:
Free unlimited travel on DTC and Cluster buses: The cardholder taps in on any DTC or Cluster bus within Delhi and travels free, with no daily, monthly, or lifetime trip limit on the welfare subsidy. The government absorbs the full cost of every journey.
Paid travel on Delhi Metro and RRTS: The same card functions as a National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) on the Delhi Metro and the Regional Rapid Transit System — but at standard fares, not free. Cardholders can load balance onto the card and use it across these networks without carrying a separate metro card.
This design keeps the welfare subsidy focused on bus travel while still delivering the convenience of a single unified card across all public transport modes, aligning with the Central government’s One Nation One Card vision.
Where to Get Your Pink Saheli Card Right Now
The government operates 50 authorised distribution centres across Delhi, functioning 9 AM to 5 PM daily, managed by two authorised agencies Hindon Mercantile (MufinPay) and Airtel Payments Bank under DTC supervision.
Key distribution locations include:
- District and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) offices across all districts
- DTC depots — including Kashmere Gate, Nehru Place, Dwarka, and Rohini
- University campuses — including Delhi University North Campus and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
The card issues on the spot within minutes of submission — no waiting period, no postal delivery, and no advance appointment required.
Documents to Carry: Exactly What the Counter Needs
The list of required documents is minimal but strictly enforced:
| Document | Purpose |
| Aadhaar Card with Delhi Address | Primary identity + residency proof |
| Active Mobile Number | Card linkage and usage tracking |
| Voter ID (optional if Aadhaar is available) | Secondary identity support |
No income proof, no caste certificate, no photograph submission, and no online pre-registration required the entire process completes in person at the counter in a single visit.
What Happens to the Old Pink Slip System
The paper pink slip system will continue running in parallel for a transition period authorities have not yet announced the exact date when pink slips will be fully discontinued. Daily bus commuters currently using the old pink slip system do not need to immediately rush for a smart card, but the government strongly encourages early adoption to ensure continuity of free travel once the parallel system phases out.
Reports suggest the exact phase-out date for paper slips will be announced only after distribution numbers cross a threshold the Delhi Transport Corporation considers adequate saturation across all districts.
Can You Apply Online?
As of publication date, the Pink Saheli Smart Card does not have an online application portal physical in-person visit to an authorised distribution centre is the only valid route to obtain the card. Reports suggest the government may introduce an online registration system in later phases of the rollout, but no official announcement confirming a digital application route is publicly disclosed.
