4 min learnNew DelhiMight 14, 2026 10:00 PM IST
Over the previous few years, a number of Indian states have launched free or subsidised bus journey schemes for ladies in an effort to enhance mobility, security, monetary independence, and entry to schooling and employment. Whereas some states at the moment are digitising their current programs, others are increasing companies or introducing new initiatives aimed toward making public transport extra accessible for ladies.
Right here’s a have a look at a few of the main free bus journey schemes at the moment operational, or set to launch quickly, throughout India.
Delhi plans digital improve to ‘Pink Ticket’ scheme
Delhi’s Pink Ticket system, first launched in 2019, is about for a serious technological revamp. Girls travelling free in Delhi Transport Company (DTC) and Cluster buses could quickly have to make use of a “Pink Saheli Sensible Card” as an alternative of the acquainted pink paper tickets.
The Delhi authorities is getting ready to steadily digitise the scheme beginning in July. Beneath the proposed mannequin, ladies passengers availing free journey might want to carry and faucet the sensible card whereas boarding buses so that every journey can be digitally recorded.
The Pink Ticket initiative was initially launched to encourage larger use of public transport amongst ladies and enhance affordability and accessibility throughout town.
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Authorities of West Bengal has confirmed that each one ladies throughout Bengal would be capable of journey free on authorities buses from June 1. The State Transport Division can be exploring the opportunity of issuing a… pic.twitter.com/WaHR4f1QiD
— The West Bengal Index (@TheBengalIndex) May 12, 2026
Tamil Nadu’s ‘Vidiyal Payanam’
Tamil Nadu launched its “Vidiyal Payanam” scheme in 2021, permitting ladies to journey free on government-operated buses.The initiative has emerged as one of many state authorities’s main welfare programmes targeted on ladies’s mobility and financial assist.
The programme has significantly benefited working ladies, college students, and day by day wage earners who rely closely on public transport for on a regular basis commuting.
Karnataka’s Shakti Scheme reworked ladies’s commuting
Launched in 2023, Karnataka’s Shakti Scheme offers free bus journey for ladies throughout the state on government-run buses. Beneath the initiative, ladies beneficiaries can journey with out paying fares on eligible Karnataka state transport buses. The scheme shortly turned one of many state’s most generally mentioned welfare measures resulting from its large-scale affect on day by day commuters.
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Punjab focuses on social inclusion by way of transport
Punjab launched free bus journey for ladies in 2021 with broader social welfare goals in thoughts. The scheme aimed to facilitate larger mobility for ladies whereas enhancing entry to vital companies akin to schooling, healthcare, and employment alternatives.
By lowering transportation prices, policymakers hoped to assist social inclusion and encourage extra ladies to independently use public transport systems across the state.
Jammu & Kashmir launches devoted free metropolis bus companies
In a newer initiative, the Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Companies launched free metropolis bus companies completely for ladies on Worldwide Girls’s Day in 2025.
Devoted fleets now function inside municipal boundaries in each Jammu and Srinagar, providing safer and extra accessible transportation choices for ladies commuters. The initiative was launched with a concentrate on security, comfort, and enhancing ladies’s confidence in utilizing public transport infrastructure.
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West Bengal to roll out free bus journey from June
West Bengal can be getting ready to launch free bus journey for ladies starting June 1. Experiences recommend that the state transport division is contemplating implementing the scheme by way of a “pink ticket” or zero-fare ticketing system.
The transfer comes alongside the state’s broader welfare initiatives and is predicted to profit 1000’s of ladies who rely on public buses for day by day commuting.
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