New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Tired of pushing and jostling in order to get a bus ticket? From now on all you need to do is to touch a card on a validator machine for a hassle free transaction, as the Delhi government Tuesday started the smart card automated fare collection in a pilot stage.

In the pilot stage the project has been started on buses plying in southwest Delhi and the transport department is planning to set up around 20,000 machines on 10,000 of its buses.

The smart card service was started on the circular bus service launched in Dwarka.

Speaking on the occasion Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that with this, 'Delhi has taken a big step ahead in the direction of becoming a world-class city.'

'The smart card is based on the latest technology as it would be able to complete transaction in 300 milli-second. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has decided to install 20,000 Smart Card machines in its 10,000 buses in future,' Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said.

The new system has been introduced as a pilot project and will be introduced in other buses and 'integrated with Delhi Metro' soon, an official statement said.

Lovely credited Dikshit for the smart card service and said that the system was convenient since passengers need not buy tickets from the conductor each time.

With this new system passengers will use the smart cards for fare payment. The cards will be available for Rs.100 from bus conductors and passengers will just need to touch their cards on a validator machine at the time of entry and exit in the bus.

Dikshit also said that her government had revised the bus rapid transport (BRT) lane system keeping in view the public suggestions. 'The BRT is now being accepted as a convenient system to ensure lane-wise discipline on roads where different kinds of vehicles ply side-by-side,' she said.