Free bus rides empower women, says govt survey
“Among the users of the scheme, 39 percent belonged to Scheduled Caste (SC), 21 percent belonged to MBC category and 18 percent were from the Backward Classes (BC). Almost 50% of the women passengers were above 40 years of age,” said a release from the state government.
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CHENNAI: The State Planning Commission has claimed that the Zero-Ticket Bus Travel (ZTBT) scheme for women has achieved its objectives, based on a survey conducted by the body.
The report cited that the free bus ride scheme has reduced dependence of women on their family members for mobility apart from fostering social networks. The survey, which was conducted in Chennai, Nagapattinam, Tiruppur, and Madurai districts, revealed that women from rural families benefited more than urban users.
“Among the users of the scheme, 39 percent belonged to Scheduled Caste (SC), 21 percent belonged to MBC category and 18 percent were from the Backward Classes (BC). Almost 50% of the women passengers were above 40 years of age,” said a release from the state government.
As per the survey report, “about 49.06 lakh women travelled by bus in Tamil Nadu every day in the year 2023-2024. The share of women among the total passengers is 66.03 percent. About 3,013 people of third gender travel daily in city buses and they all save between Rs 756 to Rs 1,012 per month. The average savings of women per month is Rs 888.”
The Tamil Nadu government recently allocated Rs 2,800 crore for the zero ticket bus travel scheme for the year 2023-24. The planning commission, based on the survey report, claimed that the women sampled for this study were less dependent on family members for their travel needs and they are being treated with respect.
Respondents also said that this scheme will contribute to their empowerment.
