The Gujarat Social Justice and Empowerment Department has integrated the Divyang Bus Pass with DigiLocker, enabling persons with disabilities to access their bus passes digitally instead of carrying physical documents, the state government said on Tuesday. The move affects more than 4.42 lakh beneficiaries statewide and has been felicitated at a national-level consultative workshop.
What the integration means for beneficiaries
Under the integration, Divyang Bus Pass holders can securely store and retrieve their passes on mobile devices via DigiLocker, the government’s cloud-based document wallet. The digital pass continues to permit free travel on Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses, while removing dependence on physical cards that can be lost, damaged or forged.
The project was implemented by the Social Justice and Empowerment Department in collaboration with the State e-Governance Mission Team (SeMT), Gujarat, with technical facilitation from the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the release said.
Recognition and policy context
Gujarat was felicitated for the initiative at the National Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Cybersecurity Frameworks for State Data, held in May 2026, the government said. Authorities described the integration as aligning with the state’s broader push for paperless service delivery and secure digital access to welfare entitlements.
Operational and verification benefits
Department officials said the DigiLocker linkage will simplify verification processes for transport staff and officials while providing beneficiaries with a government-approved digital document for identity and entitlement checks. The state release highlighted convenience and reduced risk of document loss as key advantages.
- Beneficiaries covered: More than 4.42 lakh Divyang Bus Pass holders in Gujarat.
- Service enabled: Free travel entitlement usable on GSRTC buses via digital pass.
- Implementing partners: Social Justice and Empowerment Department, SeMT Gujarat, NeGD (MeitY).
Local impact and administrative notes
For many persons with disabilities, the ability to present a digital pass on a smartphone can ease daily travel, especially where repeated boarding and alighting is required. The integration is also expected to lower administrative overheads associated with issuing, replacing and verifying physical passes.
Practical considerations remain: beneficiaries will need active DigiLocker accounts and basic smartphone access to use the digital pass, and transport staff will require clear workflows for verifying DigiLocker-issued documents on buses. The government release did not specify a timeline for mandatory switching to digital-only passes, suggesting the physical pass will remain an option while uptake grows.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of passes issued | 4.42 lakh |
| Primary transport body | Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) |
| Implementing agencies | Social Justice and Empowerment Department; SeMT Gujarat; NeGD (MeitY) |
| Recognition | Felicitated at national workshop on state data cybersecurity (May 2026) |
Broader e-governance trajectory in Gujarat
The integration joins several other state efforts to digitise public services, reduce paperwork and strengthen secure access to welfare entitlements. Officials framed the move as consistent with Gujarat’s digital delivery objectives, and as an example of state–centre cooperation through technical support from NeGD.
From a policy perspective, digitised passes that are issued as government-approved documents via DigiLocker can improve authenticity checks, reduce fraud, and retain an auditable trail. These features are attractive to both welfare departments and transport operators seeking to streamline verification at scale.
Going forward, monitoring uptake among the 4.42 lakh beneficiaries, assessing accessibility for those without smartphones, and training frontline GSRTC staff on digital verification will be critical to realising the initiative’s goals, the release implied.
The state has not yet published detailed user guides or timelines for outreach to beneficiaries; beneficiaries seeking to use the digital pass should check official department channels or SeMT Gujarat for instructions on linking their Divyang Bus Pass to DigiLocker.
