The much awaited common mobility ticket, intended to enable seamless travel between Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) and Telangana Road Transport Corporation (TGRTC) services, was expected to be a significant step towards integrated urban transport. Instead, within days of its launch, the initiative has drawn criticism from daily commuters about the steep pricing and that the design fails to address the city’s broader transport needs.
More importantly, critics say the pass overlooks two crucial elements of the city’s public transport ecosystem: the Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) operated by South Central Railway (SCR) and the last-mile connectivity provided by shared autos, shuttle services and other feeder modes that help daily commuters reach their final destinations.
The idea of a common ticket is not entirely new. Nearly two decades ago, the then Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad and SCR authorities attempted a similar initiative through an MMTS-RTC combined pass. While the concept was promising, the system faded away amid poor coordination between agencies and limited public uptake.
The newly launched pass, available at around ₹400 per day or ₹8,500 per month, allows unlimited travel on Hyderabad Metro Rail and TGRTC services within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits except the airport shuttles. A refundable security deposit is charged for the physical card, while a digital version is available through the Mee Ticket platform.
The latest effort aims to revive the dream of integrated ticketing, but commuters question whether the pricing reflects actual travel patterns. A rough calculation suggests that even a commuter travelling end-to-end on HMR’s Red Line (LB Nagar-Miyapur), Blue Line (Nagole-Raidurg) or Green Line (JBS Parade Ground-MGBS), combined with routine bus travel and cab/auto/bike, could be spending around ₹200-₹250 a day.
Many argue that a truly integrated mobility pass should cover the entire journey, including the often-expensive final leg from a station or bus stop to the commuter’s home or workplace. “A monthly pass should ideally cost between ₹2,500 and ₹3,500 a month and include last-mile connectivity as well,” says Ananth, a commuter on ‘X’.
Sirisha, who regularly combines multiple transport modes, adds : “The common pass is expensive and does not guarantee end-to-end transport because last-mile connectivity itself costs a lot. Authorities should first ensure adequate connectivity to colonies within a four-to five-kilometre radius of major stations and corridors. Feeder buses should be strengthened and RTC services reoriented to complement metro routes”.
Another commuter Srinivas on ‘X’ says: “Public transport works best when it is affordable and reliable. The benefits should be assessed not merely in terms of revenue, but also through their impact on congestion, air pollution and quality of life”.
Questions have also been raised about the pass’ appeal among women commuters. With free bus travel already available to women under the government’s ‘Mahalakshmi’ scheme, many may find little incentive to purchase a common mobility pass unless they are frequent metro users.
Senior officials concerned, seeking anonymity, point out that Hyderabad Metro already operates a smart-card-based ticketing system and that the network could potentially move towards broader interoperability. They also highlight the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), envisioned as a nationwide interoperable payment platform for public transport and conceptualised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
The NCMC is designed to allow commuters to use a single card across multiple modes of transport and other urban services. L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH), which runs HMR phase one, has been testing NCMC-based transactions across its three corridors, although a full-scale public rollout has not happened.
“NCMC can be used across the country. Cities such as Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru have already adopted integrated mobility solutions in different forms, allowing commuters to use a common payment platform across transport systems and even for services such as parking. Technology is available, all you need is a will and swipe machines hand held or otherwise,” says Vishwanath, another commuter.
The issue, many officials admit, is that the city’s transport ecosystem functions through multiple agencies with limited coordination in planning, operations and fare integration. Urban transport planners argue that meaningful integration will remain difficult until the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) is empowered to coordinate policies across metro rail, buses, suburban rail services and feeder networks.
Published – October 10, 2026 12:56 am IST
