‘Free bus ride, a boon for women’

CHENNAI: The state government’s free bus travel scheme for women has augmented their savings, according to a study conducted by the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG).

A woman passenger on an average saves nearly Rs 800 per month, according to the study report titled “Fair Fares: Towards Gender - Inclusive Public Transport” released by Alby John Varghese, the managing director of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC).

The report noted that considering 90 per cent of the women earning less than Rs 20,000 per month, the money saved through this scheme is huge. It also observed the surge in the number of women passengers benefitting from this scheme.

The report also found a dip in the use of other forms of transportation like paratransit and private vehicles by women after the implementation of this scheme.

The motive of this study is to gauge the impact of the free bus ride scheme in the State and the CAG interviewed over 3,000 women passengers, comprising diverse age groups and socio-economic backgrounds, from six cities in the state - Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem, Tirunelveli, Tiruvannamalai, and Tiruvarur.

Observing that the free bus ride scheme has a huge multiplier effect on the economy, the MTC MD said, “In Chennai, more than 50 percent of the respondents had said that they saved Rs 1000 per month. It is a huge sum for anyone. They can invest in other household expenses,” he said.

He dismissed the idea that the State Transport Undertakings suffer huge losses due to free bus rides. “To date, 424 crore women have taken rides in the buses for which the government has paid a subsidy of Rs 6,788 crore. The government subsidises every woman passenger and it has improved the revenues of transport corporations. In the MTC alone, 88.87 crore women have taken rides and we have got Rs 1,422 crore as subsidy so far,” he said.

Pointing to some of the negative narratives the scheme sparked off when it was first announced, Sumana Narayanan, a senior researcher from CAG said, “There has been public commentary that the scheme encourages women to step out of their houses without purpose, to loiter. We did find that women are now going out more for recreation and personal time to temples, beaches, and parks. Women too need some personal time for their mental health and happiness and this should be seen as something positive.”