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Free bus ride scheme for senior women in UP may roll out soon
“We will provide free travel to all women above 60 in public transport in Uttar Pradesh,” the BJP had stated in its ‘Sankalp Patra’ (ahead) ahead of the 2022 assembly elections. With less than a year to go before the next polls, the state government is believed to be moving to implement the populist promise through the budget scheduled to be presented on February 11.
After nearly four years of waiting, the Uttar Pradesh government may finally move to implement its long-promised free bus travel scheme for senior women, with the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) seeking ₹338-crore allocation in the upcoming state budget for the purpose.
The proposal aims to provide free travel in UPSRTC buses to women aged above 60 years and is in line with a key promise made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its 2022 assembly election manifesto.
“We will provide free travel to all women above 60 in public transport in Uttar Pradesh,” the BJP had stated in its ‘Sankalp Patra’ (ahead) ahead of the 2022 assembly elections. With less than a year to go before the next polls, the state government is believed to be moving to implement the populist promise through the budget scheduled to be presented on February 11.
“As sought by UPSRTC, we are proposing a budgetary allocation of over ₹300 crore to enable the state-run corporation to provide free transport to all women above 60, in line with the commitment made four years ago,” a senior government officer said.
UPSRTC’s demand of ₹338 crore for a year is based on a recent survey conducted by the transport utility. According to the survey, around 18-20 lakh passengers travel in state-run buses every day, about 33% of whom are women.
“Our survey found that nearly one lakh women above 60 years of age travel in UPSRTC buses daily, making financial assistance of ₹338 crore necessary to ferry them free of cost,” a senior UPSRTC official said.
However, the corporation does not have a foolproof mechanism to accurately verify passengers’ age at the time of ticketing. “We will have to depend on the entries made by conductors while issuing tickets to women above 60 years of age. They may be instructed to check age proof such as Aadhaar cards,” an official said.
Officials added that UPSRTC has suggested extending free travel to all women passengers, irrespective of age, to avoid the need for a strict beneficiary identification system.
“We can provide free transport in our buses to all women, provided the government is ready to foot the bill,” the official added.
According to officials, UPSRTC had raised a bill of around ₹100 crore for providing free travel to nearly 90 lakh women over three days — on Raksha Bandhan, as well as a day before and a day after the festival. For several years now, the transport corporation has been offering free bus rides to women on Raksha Bandhan, with the state government reimbursing the ticket cost.
