Nearly 29 crore women use free bus travel as part of ‘Maha Lakshmi’ scheme in three months

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar hailing the government’s decision as a substantial saving for middle class and poor families who rely heavily on public transport, said it was utmost beneficial for the jobless and a safer option for those returning home late than taking a share-hire taxi.

Hyderabad: Nearly 29 crore women have travelled freely in the buses since the launch of ‘Maha Lakshmi’ free travel facility in December last year until now. The same number of ‘Zero Fare Tickets’ were issued to them by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC).

According to the data available with TSRTC, on an average 26.99 lakh women availed free bus facility daily in December 2023. The number of women travellers gradually increased to 28.10 lakhs daily in January 2024 and subsequently rose to 31.56 lakhs daily in February 2024.

---

The Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Warangal regions stood in the top three positions in occupancy rate since the scheme was launched. The RTC operated a total of 2,670 buses under Greater Zone (Hyderabad and Secunderabad). While about 21 lakh passengers travel in buses daily on an average in the zone, of them, 14.5 lakh are women.

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar hailing the government’s decision as a substantial saving for middle class and poor families who rely heavily on public transport, said it was utmost beneficial for the jobless and a safer option for those returning home late than taking a share-hire taxi.

“Moreover, the scheme has come as a boon for working women, including government employees as they can now save money that they used to spend on commuting to office,” he said.

The Minister further said barely three months after its launch; the scheme has helped women in multiple ways like more savings, better mobility and access to education, healthcare, employment and other essential services.