Bangalore: Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporations will soon be offering multi-utility smart cards modelled on the lines of debit cards to its commuters, State Transport Minister N Cheluvaraya Swamy said today.

The new initiative would help those who purchase "daily passes" and "monthly passes" for their travel, he told reporters here.

The state-owned Karnataka Electronics Development Corporation had been negotiating with a bank to convert smart card into a debit card to enable the holder to pay public utility bills even in bus stations, he said.

Initially about 10,000 cards would be issued with Rs 65 being charged per card. Commuters can swipe these cards on the gadgets installed in buses while travelling, Swamy said "and these cards are re-chargeable."

However, conductors will issue tickets to those who do not opt for these cards, he said.