Free Bus Travel For Women In Rajasthan On International Women's Day

Women of all ages are allowed to use public transport for free in Rajasthan on International Women’s Day, March 8. This facility will be available on both ordinary and fast roadway buses in the state. With an estimated 8.50 lakh women expected to travel by bus in Rajasthan on March 8, the state government has estimated a financial burden of around Rs. 7.50 crore.

Free Bus for Rajasthan Women

The proposal was approved by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. He also approved a proposal to hike the concession on fares to 50 percent for women on ordinary Rajasthan roadway buses.

Ordinary buses on Rajasthan highways currently offer a 30 percent discount to women. The 50 percent concession will be implemented on April 1, 2023. This initiative is estimated to further put an additional financial burden of Rs. 3.50 crore on the state government. The concession of bus fares for women was announced in the 2023–2024 state budget by Chief Minister Gehlot.

Free Bus Travel For Women In Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced a free bus ride programme for all working women in the state. Since there is no concrete definition for the phrase "working women," all women have benefited from the scheme. The scheme, called Zero-Ticket Bus Travel (ZTBT), was announced on May 8, 2021.

This move has received wide appreciation as it enabled higher participation of women in the workforce, reduced the dependency of women on their family members for travel, and created an opportunity for social networking and learning.

The state planning commission of Tamil Nadu conducted a survey at the end of 2022 and revealed that the scheme has benefited more than 80 percent of the women from low-income households who participated in the survey. Free travel also increased the rate of female passengers from 40 percent to 61 percent.

Suggested Reading: Assam Launches Free ‘Pink Bus’ Service For Women And Elderly People