New Delhi, Dec. 27 -- The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has empanelled three banks for the roll-out of "Saheli" smart cards to women for seamless bus travel in the capital-clearing the final procedural hurdle for the national common mobility card (NCMC) programme, officials said. Officials familiar with the process said backend integration with transport systems is expected to be completed within a month, paving the way for a phased launch around February or March. According to officials,card-reading machines have already been installed in all DTC and cluster buses, and pilot testing is underway. Once operational, the cards will allow commuters to use a single payment instrument across Delhi Transport Corporation and cluster buses, Delhi Metro, and other integrated transport services. Transport minister Pankaj Singh, said: "The Sahelicard is not just a payment instrument but a mobility solution across public transport systems. We are at the final stages of identifying the centres where the cards will be made available. The installation of card-reading machines iscomplete and a pilot is in progress." Singh added that the cards will likely be available at most Delhi Transport Corporation bus depots and citizen facilitation centres across districts. Officials said the initiative, which has been in the making for nearly 10 months, is aimed at bringing uniformity and convenience to the capital's nearly 2.9 million daily bus passengers. Officials clarified that free bus travel will be restricted to residents of Delhi....