Bengaluru: In an effort to encourage tech professionals to ditch their cars and adopt greener transport options, a new smart mobility card called the Orbit Wallet RuPay prepaid card was launched on Monday for employees working in Electronics City. The initiative, which falls under the STAMP (Station Access and Mobility Program), aims to nudge commuter behaviour toward sustainable travel and boost metro ridership along Bengaluru’s Yellow Line.
A collaborative push for sustainable mobility
The initiative is a joint effort between the Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA), Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), and World Resources Institute (WRI) India, with active support from Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
According to The New Indian Express, this collaboration is part of the STAMP Nudge Challenge, a competition designed to promote innovative mobility solutions that encourage behavioural change among daily commuters.
What is the Orbit Wallet?
The Orbit Wallet card is a National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)-compliant system, which means users can eventually make seamless payments across multiple transport modes — including the Bengaluru Metro, BMTC buses, and even retail or digital transactions.
At present, the card is active only for Metro travel, while integration with BMTC’s NCMC platform is underway. Once fully implemented, the card will function as an all-in-one payment solution for Bengaluru commuters.
Srinivas Alavilli, Fellow for Integrated Transport at WRI India, said at the launch that the goal is to reward commuters for making the eco-friendly choice. He added that employees using the Orbit Wallet in Electronics City will receive benefits worth ₹1,500 to switch from personal vehicles to the Metro.
Incentives for green commuting
The Orbit Wallet initiative is not just about convenience — it’s also about behavioural change. The program uses incentives and data-driven insights to make sustainable commuting appealing to working professionals.
Shikha Chouksey, co-founder of Orbit Wallet, explained that the platform helps companies redirect fuel and parking reimbursements toward sustainable mobility options. This means employees can earn perks for choosing public transport over personal cars, aligning corporate sustainability goals with individual commuter habits.
The approach combines technology, policy support, and behavioural economics, aiming to create a long-term shift toward greener urban travel.
Boost to the STAMP project
The STAMP project, launched in partnership with WRI India and TMF, focuses on improving last-mile connectivity and access to metro stations through pilot programs, digital tools, and incentive-based commuting.
By leveraging the Orbit Wallet platform, the project seeks to integrate Metro and bus networks, reducing dependency on private cars in areas such as Electronics City, one of Bengaluru’s most congested tech hubs.
Future expansion plans
Officials indicated that the Orbit Wallet system could eventually be expanded beyond Electronics City, with plans to introduce similar reward-based smart cards in other IT corridors, including Whitefield and Outer Ring Road. The broader vision is to make multi-modal, cashless commuting the norm in India’s technology capital.
For now, the pilot’s success will depend on adoption rates among corporate employees and the timely integration of BMTC services. Commuters have welcomed the move as a step toward reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality in the city.