Delhi bus fares, tickets and the Pink Saheli Smart Card

Ticket prices on DTC and cluster buses

Fares are distance-based ("fare stages") and identical on DTC and orange cluster buses:

• Non-AC buses (green and most orange): ₹5, ₹10 or ₹15 depending on how far you travel.
• AC buses (red and most electric): ₹10, ₹15, ₹20 or ₹25 depending on distance.

Tell the conductor your destination stop and they will charge the right stage. Fares are set by the Delhi government and can change by notification; the official reference is dtc.delhi.gov.in.

What the official data shows

Delhi publishes its bus network as open data, including the fares attached to every route. Of the 2,354 route patterns with fare data, 2,033 (86%) use exactly one ladder: ₹5, ₹10, ₹15. Another 174 top out at ₹10 and 89 charge a flat ₹5.

That makes fares far more predictable than distance suggests. A ride right across the city on a non-AC bus is very often the same ₹15 as a much shorter one, because the top stage covers a lot of ground.

The exception: routes that cross into Noida and UP

A small number of routes break the pattern. 58 route patterns charge more than ₹15, and the highest fare recorded is ₹100. Some cross the state border into Noida, where the fare ladder is much finer and tracks distance closely; others are long cross-city and airport services.

If you are heading into Noida, budget for roughly double an equivalent trip inside Delhi, and carry change.

Free travel for women: the Pink Saheli Smart Card

Since 2019, women have travelled free on Delhi buses using paper pink tickets issued by the conductor. Under a DTC circular issued on 10 July 2026, paper pink tickets were issued only until 31 July 2026.

From 1 August 2026, free travel requires the Pink Saheli Smart Card, a personalised National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) issued free of cost. Women, girls and transgender persons who live in Delhi and are at least 5 years old are eligible. Check the current application process and pickup points on the official DTC site.

Ways to pay

• Cash to the conductor. Still the most common way. Carry change; conductors often cannot break large notes early in a shift.
• One Delhi app. The Delhi government’s official app sells mobile bus tickets, so you can buy before boarding and show the QR ticket.
• NCMC and smart cards. Tap-based cards are being rolled out across the fleet as ticket machines are upgraded.

Bus passes

If you ride daily, a DTC pass usually pays for itself within a couple of weeks. Passes are valid on both DTC and cluster buses. There are general passes and concessional categories for students, senior citizens and others; prices vary by AC or non-AC validity and category, so use the official DTC pass calculator for current rates.

Working out what a trip will cost

Because the stages are coarse, you can estimate a non-AC fare inside Delhi without knowing the exact distance:

• A few stops in the same neighbourhood: ₹5
• Across a district, or to the nearest big interchange: ₹10
• Anything longer, including most cross-city journeys: ₹15

Every route page on BusPe lists the fares recorded for that route, so you can check before you board.