Prepaid transit card launched to encourage IT staffers in Bengaluru's Electronic City to use Metro, buses

BENGALURU: To encourage more IT employees to shift from private vehicles to public transport, the Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA), Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) and World Resources Institute (WRI) India on Monday launched the Orbit Wallet RuPay prepaid card for employees of companies operating in the Electronics City industrial township. The initiative, supported by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), is part of the STAMP (Station Access and Mobility Program): Nudging Commuter Behaviour project, which focuses on increasing Metro ridership along the new Yellow Line using behavioural science and technology interventions. The Orbit Wallet card, one of the winners of the STAMP Nudge Challenge, is National Common Mobility Card-compliant, allowing users to pay for Metro, BMTC buses and other services, while also functioning as a prepaid card for shopping and digital payments. However, the card can only be used in metros now as BMTC is yet to integrate NCMC with their payment systems. Incentive mechanisms At the launch, Srinivas Alavilli, Fellow, Integrated Transport, WRI India, said, The objective of Nudge Challenge is to introduce innovative incentive mechanisms for employees of Electronics City to switch to public transport. Today we launched Orbit Wallet Cards in association with ELCIA. Orbit Wallet card users in ELCIA will receive benefits of Rs 1500 to switch to Metro. Many companies reimburse fuel and parking costs for personal vehicles. With Orbit Wallet, the same benefits can now be extended to those who use Metro and buses, said Shikha Chouksey, co-founder of Orbit Wallet.