Chennai | The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) and the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) have rolled out a fully digital monthly bus pass on the Chennai One app, aiming to make city bus travel more convenient and paperless for commuters.

Launched at the MTC headquarters by Tamil Nadu's Transport and Electricity Minister S S Sivasankar on Friday, the digital pass facility allows passengers to buy and use their monthly passes entirely through the mobile app without visiting depots, CUMTA said in a release.

Senior officials, including MTC Managing Director T Prabhushankar, CUMTA Member Secretary I Jeyakumar and MTC Joint Managing Director Rama Sundarapandian were present at the launch.

CUMTA said the Chennai One app, introduced in September 2025 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, has emerged as a widely used public transport platform in the city with over 6.8 lakh registered users and more than 14 lakh digital tickets issued so far.

The addition of digital monthly passes is expected to increase pass usage and support efforts to draw more people to public transport, it noted.

Two types of passes are being offered initially -- a Rs 1,000 'Gold' pass that permits unlimited monthly travel on ordinary, deluxe and express MTC services, and a Rs 2,000 'Diamond' pass that covers all categories of buses, including air-conditioned services. After purchasing the pass on the app, commuters can activate it on board by entering a one-time password or scanning a QR code displayed inside the bus and then showing it to the conductor on every trip, officials said.

As an introductory promotion, commuters paying for the pass through the BHIM app will receive Rs 50 cashback, CUMTA said.

Chennai One, described as an integrated commuter platform, brings together buses, metro, suburban rail, autos and cabs so that users can plan journeys, book tickets, make payments and track services using a single interface and QR-based system, the authority added.