DEFECTIVE SMART CARDS HIT BEST COMMUTERS

Thousands of BEST bus passengers, who have purchased new smart cards for a daily pass of Rs40, have been inconvenienced as some cards do not work.
BEST had made smart cards mandatory in order to avail the Rs 40 bus pass that allows unlimited daily travel all over the city from June 1. Following the hike in BEST bus fares from April 27, the demand for these passes rose.
Till date, BEST has issued more than one lakh Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) smart cards. Sources said around 10,000-12,000 of these are faulty. “We have received 5,000-6,000 complaints,” said NA Walawalkar, public relations officer, BEST.

Sources said the provider had procured the cards from another company to cater to the huge demand after BEST made them mandatory. But the specifications did not match the BEST’s card readers.
Laxmikant Sharma, a Goregaon resident, said, “As I have to travel a lot for work, I bought a smart card on June 16. But when I tried to buy a ticket with it, the conductor told me it was not working.”
A BEST conductor from Deonar depot said he has been told to direct passengers to deposit their cards from where they bought them. “We will replace these cards in five days,” Walawalkar said.
BEST general manager OP Gupta was unavailable for comment.