Archive · 30 Jul 2026
Delhi Metro Shifts to Cashless Payments, Cutting Queues
Delhi Metro, the biggest subway system in India, is now mostly paid for with phones or cards instead of cash.
About 74 out of every 100 rides use digital money, while only 26 use cash.
The change helps people get on and off faster and keeps money safe.
Even though most rides are digital, about half of riders still use special Smart Cards because they are quick and give discounts.
This is a big change from eight years ago when most money was paid in cash.
Delhi Metro now earns ~73.6% of revenue from digital transactions.
Cash transactions dropped from ~78% in 2018 to 26.4% this year.
Digitisation aims to reduce queues, lower cash handling, and support NCMC interoperability.
Despite digital rise, about half of commuters still use Smart Cards for faster entry and fare discounts.
The shift reflects a reversal from 8 years ago when cash dominated revenue.
- Who
- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation officials
- What
- Shift from cash to digital payments for Metro rides
- When
- 2023
- Where
- Delhi Metro network, India
- Why
- To reduce queues, lower cash handling, and enable NCMC interoperability
- Digital revenue percentage
- 73.56%
- Cash revenue percentage
- 26.44%
- Year of reversal
- 2023
- Cash revenue (2018)
- 77.93%
- Smart Card usage
- about 50%
- NCMC
- National Common Mobility Card