Tamil Nadu women to get free travel on more government buses

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will launch the expanded Vetri Travel Scheme for women on October 2. The programme extends free travel to Express, LSS and Deluxe government buses, with 12,692 buses expected to come under its coverage across the state

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is scheduled to launch the expanded Vetri Travel Scheme for women on Friday, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, at the Koyambedu bus terminus in Chennai.

The initiative extends free travel beyond ordinary government city buses to Express, LSS and Deluxe services, widening access to public transport for women and transgender beneficiaries across the state.

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The free bus travel programme was introduced during the previous DMK administration. The government has renamed it the Vetri Travel Scheme and expanded the categories of buses covered under it.

According to figures cited for the expanded programme, 12,692 government buses will come under its coverage. The scheme is expected to benefit 84 lakh women daily and facilitate more than 16 lakh one-way journeys.

However, the expansion has prompted questions about the distance passengers can travel without paying a fare and whether the benefit can be used for journeys between cities such as Chennai, Coimbatore and Nagercoil.

The information provided does not establish whether a passenger can make an entire long-distance journey free by changing buses along the way. The operating distance of a bus service should be distinguished from the distance eligible for a fare exemption under the scheme.

Government Express buses generally operate over distances ranging from 30 to 100 km, while LSS services cover around 30 to 40 km and Deluxe buses approximately 30 to 50 km, according to the details cited.

Routes mentioned in connection with the expansion include Tiruchi-Dindigul, Thanjavur-Nagapattinam, Thanjavur-Velankanni, Tindivanam-Villupuram, Vriddhachalam-Tiruchi, Coimbatore-Palani, Palani-Dindigul, Coimbatore-Erode, Erode-Salem and Madurai-Virudhunagar.

The report also refers to a possible chain of services linking Chennai with Chengalpattu, Tindivanam, Villupuram, Vriddhachalam, Tiruchi, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Kovilpatti, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari. However, that listing alone does not confirm free travel throughout the route or specify how many changes would be required.

Clear details on eligible services, journey limits and ticketing arrangements will therefore be important for passengers planning trips after the launch.

Women seeking to travel beyond their local areas will need route-specific information to determine which portions of a journey qualify for free travel.

The expansion is intended to make more government bus services accessible to beneficiaries, building on the existing free travel facility available on ordinary city buses.