Global payments major Mastercard and Visa are keen on joining the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) programme that allows for a single debit or credit card to be used for transit as well. The NCMC scheme, under the ‘One Nation One Card’ platform, was launched earlier this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is currently available through the domestic RuPay card system.

“Talks are on with the government on NCMC as we believe that the more interoperable you make it, the better it is. The best and most sustainable systems are interoperable, and it is most easy for the consumer to convert to digital payments,” said Manasi Narasimhan, Vice-President, Marketing and Communications, Mastercard, adding that Mastercard is the leader in transit in many parts of the world, including London and Singapore.

Visa also said it supports the government’s objectives for the NCMC programme to enable convenient, secure, and universally accessible methods of digital payment for public transportation across the country.

“In that spirit, we have developed an interoperable technology specification that is consistent with the official NCMC standard and are now engaging all stakeholders to ensure that more than 330 million Visa credentials will be fully included in this ambitious national effort,” it said when contacted by BusinessLine.

“We believe inclusion of all networks will not only help accelerate the adoption of contactless payments for transportation but also facilitate customer choice and innovation,” it further said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in March this year, launched the Indigenous Automatic Fare Collection System based on One Nation One Card Model, or NCMC, which is the first-of-its-kind in India.

These can be debit, credit or prepaid cards. The objective is that the customer can use this single card for payments across all segments, including metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking, smart city and retail.

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