NCMC glitches are disrupting ticketing on Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses, with passengers reporting rejected cards, failed QR scans, missing recharge balances and payments deducted without tickets being generated, according to a report by Pune Mirror.
The failures are slowing ticket issuance and creating disputes between passengers and conductors, particularly during busy travel periods when buses need to move quickly. Valid National Common Mobility Cards have reportedly been rejected even when they contain sufficient balance, while QR-based payments have also failed to scan in some cases.
Passengers have additionally reported that recharge confirmations do not always appear in their ticketing accounts. In other instances, money is deducted from a transaction but no ticket is produced. Poor network connectivity and interruptions affecting the central system have further complicated the process, leaving commuters uncertain about whether a payment has been completed or whether they must pay again.
The immediate burden of resolving these failures is falling on bus conductors. When a transaction does not go through, conductors are expected to check the payment status, explain the problem to passengers and arrange alternative ticketing wherever possible. This extends the time required to issue tickets and can lead to arguments onboard, especially when commuters cannot establish whether their money has been debited.
Staff have reportedly raised concerns that server failures, software errors and connectivity problems should be handled primarily by technical teams and the service provider. Frontline transport employees, they say, are being left to manage the passenger-facing consequences of failures they may not be able to fix.
MSRTC introduced the NCMC system as part of its broader shift towards digital ticketing. The system was intended to simplify bus travel, make concession-based travel more transparent and reduce the misuse of government travel benefits. For that model to work, card readers must recognise valid cards, recharge balances must update promptly and payment confirmations must correspond with tickets issued.
The reported failures expose the operational gap between introducing a digital payment system and ensuring that it remains dependable in everyday bus operations. A passenger may experience the breakdown as a simple ticketing dispute, but the underlying problem can involve several linked systems: the card or QR interface, the onboard machine, the network connection, the central server and the payment record.
Until the reported technical problems are addressed, passengers may continue to face delays and uncertainty during journeys, while conductors remain responsible for handling failed transactions and complaints onboard. The report does not specify a public resolution timeline from MSRTC or the technology service provider.
