Tamil Nadu has shifted 340 government-operated express, deluxe and suburban buses to ordinary-fare services under the expanded Vettri Payanam scheme, reducing ticket prices for male passengers by Rs 10 to Rs 15 depending on the distance travelled.
The fare change applies to buses operating between districts and important towns, as well as services in hill areas. The buses were earlier classified as express or deluxe suburban services, but have now been converted to ordinary-fare services, according to state transport corporation officials cited in a report by Dinamalar.
The change is part of the state’s expansion of its free travel programme for women. The scheme, initially introduced for women travelling on ordinary-fare buses, has been expanded under the name Vettri Payanam. Women can use the benefit on ordinary and deluxe city buses, suburban ordinary-fare buses operating between districts, and ordinary-fare buses serving hill areas.
Transport officials said women are now permitted to travel free of charge on 12,695 buses. This fleet includes city express and deluxe buses, suburban ordinary-fare buses, and ordinary-fare hill services operating over distances of more than 40 kilometres. Of these, 2,390 suburban ordinary-fare buses connect districts and major towns.
Before the expansion, 2,050 buses were included in the relevant suburban ordinary-fare network. The addition of 340 buses brings the total to 2,390, while also changing the fare category of those services. For male passengers, the reclassification means a reduction of between Rs 10 and Rs 15, based on the distance travelled.
The transport corporations have marked the eligible buses with Vettri Payanam stickers and digital display boards so that passengers can identify them. The expansion has also increased the number of women travelling on ordinary-fare services, including deluxe city buses in Chennai and suburban ordinary-fare buses in the districts, according to the officials.
The revised classification creates a common operating network in which women receive free travel on the designated services while male passengers pay the applicable ordinary fare. The transport corporations’ current implementation covers the 340 newly converted buses along with the existing ordinary-fare services included in the scheme.
