New Delhi: Delhi govt has extended the use of paper-based pink tickets for women travelling on DTC and cluster buses until Aug 31, according to a transport department official.Women eligible for free bus travel can continue to use the paper tickets during the extended period. The facility was earlier scheduled to be discontinued on Aug 15, with Pink Saheli smart card planned to become mandatory from the next day.The extension has been allowed to provide more women with time to obtain the smart cards. Around 18 lakh Pink Saheli cards have been distributed across Delhi so far.A senior official said, “The govt intends to eventually discontinue the paper-based ticket system and move fully to the Pink Saheli smart card for women passengers. To support the transition, 50 authorised centres have been established across the city for issuing the cards.”Besides, authorities have been asked to use multiple channels, including announcements at bus depots and inside buses, as well as social media and print media campaigns to strengthen awareness efforts about the smart card facility.
