Tamil Nadu’s expanded free bus travel scheme for women recorded approximately 5.9 crore journeys in its first week, while fare changes on selected routes also reduced ticket prices for male passengers, according to transport officials. The Vettri Payanam initiative began on October 2 across metropolitan, urban, mofussil and ghat services operated by the state’s seven State Transport Corporations.
About 88 lakh women used the facility on October 7 alone, while government records showed an average of 84.32 lakh zero-fare tickets being issued every day across the expanded network of 12,692 buses. The reported figures refer to individual journeys rather than unique passengers.
The scheme was extended beyond ordinary city and town buses to include Express, Limited Stop Services, Deluxe, Suburban Ordinary and Ghat Ordinary services operating over 40 km. The government has said the expansion is intended to ensure that transport costs do not prevent women from accessing education, employment, livelihoods, healthcare and other essential services.
The initiative has also resulted in lower fares for male passengers on some routes. On the Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur route, the fare was reduced from Rs 50 to Rs 38. In Tiruvannamalai district, the fare for men was brought down from Rs 10 to Rs 7. Ticket prices were also revised for male passengers using 65 buses in Kanyakumari district.
In Vellore, Tirupattur and Ranipet, 128 buses operating under different service categories were converted into ordinary buses. Across the state, the restructuring of Express, Limited Stop Services and Deluxe operations has reduced fares for men by Rs 3 to Rs 12 on specific routes, depending on distance.
Transport authorities said the reductions did not represent a direct cut in the government’s base ticket pricing. Instead, they followed the redesignation or adjustment of higher-fare services as ordinary or simplified services. The changes were made as part of the expanded scheme and its subsidy-tracking arrangements, according to the report.
The free travel facility had earlier been limited to ordinary city and town buses, with coverage of up to 40 km in hilly areas. Under the expanded scheme, women and transgender passengers can use the eligible services without an income ceiling or a limit on the number of daily trips.
The scheme was announced by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay under Rule 110 in the Assembly on August 24 and formally launched at Koyambedu Bus Terminus on October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti. Zero-fare tickets were issued to women at the launch.
Transport Minister A Vijay Tamilan Parthiban said the initiative was intended to support education, employment, livelihoods and economic empowerment by ensuring that travel costs did not become a barrier. The government has identified female students travelling to distant colleges, working women and transgender persons commuting to workplaces, and people travelling for medical and essential needs among the intended beneficiaries.
The transport department’s next phase will involve continuing the expanded service coverage and monitoring zero-fare ticket usage across the seven State Transport Corporations.
