Free travel for women in state-run buses from today

•  To be implemented under the Mahalakshmi scheme by the Congress govt
  
•  Launching today, coinciding with Sonia Gandhi’s birthday
•  Valid for travel within the State, using various identity cards
•  TSRTC geared up with 7,292 buses; revenue expected to decrease

Hyderabad: Women, girls and third gender of all age groups in Telangana State will be able to travel free in State-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) buses from Saturday as the new Congress government has decided to implement the scheme which was promised during the elections for empowerment of women.

Day after assuming office, the Congress government issued an order to roll out the facility under the Mahalakshmi scheme of their six guarantees. The State government issued modalities for implementation of the scheme, which is being launched on December 9, on the birthday of Congress senior leader Sonia Gandhi.

Following the implementation of the scheme, Divya Khatri, a college student, said “We are extremely excited to travel in state-run buses for free as it helps in our mobility, as we were facing difficulties earlier by spending huge amounts of money for expenses. However, TSRTC must also increase the frequency of buses for commuters as it eases our problems.”

The TSRTC announced that as per the directives of the State government, the corporation is providing free travel facility among beneficiaries including women, girls, students and third gender in buses within the State borders.

Speaking on the implementation of free bus services, TSRTC MD, V C Sajjanar said that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will launch the free travel scheme for women on Saturday at 1.30 pm at the State Assembly premises.

The women can travel in inter-state Express and Palle Velugu buses to the borders of Telangana State.

“They can travel by showing any of the identity cards like Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licence, PAN card or passport. There will be no restriction. They can travel any distance within the State,” he said, adding that they will be issued zero tickets in the next few days.

“The newly formed Congress government has ambitiously taken up the programme of free bus travel facility for women, for the scheme, TSRTC is fully prepared. Virtual meetings were held with nearly 40,000 drivers and conductors performing duties at the field level. We explained to them the free bus travel guidelines,” added Sajjanar.

As many as 7,292 buses can be used by beneficiaries under the scheme and the travel pattern of TSRTC shows that 40 per cent of its passengers are women. This number is expected to go up to 50-55 per cent with the implementation of the scheme. Sajjanar said based on the number of beneficiaries of the scheme, TSRTC will seek reimbursement from the government. He called it a historical decision which will give a boost to the public transport system.

He said “TSRTC’s current daily revenues are Rs 14 crore and with the implementation of this scheme, it will automatically come down by 50 per cent. We will request the government to fill the gap,” he said.

After studying the travel pattern for a few days, the TSRTC will approach the government for procuring additional buses, if required.

Moreover, Sajjanar directed the officials to focus on the management of bus stations as there is a possibility of increasing congestion in buses with free travel. It is suggested that staff should be disciplined and perform their duties with patience and tolerance.