Karnataka’s Shakti Scheme sets world record with over 500 crore women bus journeys

The Shakti Scheme in Karnataka, offering free bus rides for women, achieved a Guinness World Record for 5 billion journeys.

Karnataka’s flagship Shakti Scheme, which provides free bus travel to women across state-run transport corporations, has earned a remarkable mention in the Golden Book of World Records.

The award recognizes over 5,049,476,416 women passenger journeys, equivalent to 500+ crore ticketed rides.

The award recognizes over 5,049,476,416 women passenger journeys, equivalent to over 500 crore ticketed rides, recorded between June 11, 2023, and July 20 this year.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, also the KPCC president, hailed the recognition as a milestone in women’s empowerment, socially, educationally, economically, and industrially, under the scheme.

State officials attributed the scheme’s success to the collective efforts of the management boards of KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC, along with the secretariat, managing directors, and staff.

“The tireless efforts, dedication, and sincere service of all employees are unparalleled and praiseworthy. The cooperation of labour union leaders too deserves heartfelt thanks,” said a statement from the transport department.

Launched soon after the current government took office, the Shakti Scheme became the first of Karnataka’s five guarantee programs. It faced initial hurdles: the transport corporations were burdened with debt, lacked fresh buses, and had no recent recruitment activity.

Now, in just two years, the government has added 5,800 new buses, conducted 10,000 recruitments, and cleared debts using ₹2,000 crore in assistance, efforts officials say have significantly boosted ridership and operational efficiency.

These interventions align with findings from the "Beyond Free Rides" study by the Sustainable Mobility Network, which shows significant socio-economic returns: women’s employment rose by 23% in Bengaluru and 21% in Hubballi-Dharwad following the launch of the free bus travel scheme.

The scheme’s influence stretches beyond state borders. Several other Indian states are now piloting similar women-centric bus travel programs, a testament to Shakti’s success and replicability. Officials called the world record recognition a moment of "pride and honour", underlining the long-term transformational impact of the program.