Chennai, Oct 1:
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is set to launch the expanded ‘Vetri Payanam’ scheme for women from the Koyambedu bus terminus in Chennai on October 2, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The scheme is an expansion of the existing free bus travel programme for women and is aimed at widening access to public transport, particularly for women travelling to workplaces, educational institutions, hospitals and other essential services.
Under the expanded scheme, free travel for women will be extended beyond ordinary city buses to Express, LSS and Deluxe government buses operating in metropolitan and urban areas. The benefit will also cover ordinary mofussil buses and ordinary buses operating on hill routes beyond 40 km.
As many as 12,692 government buses operated by the seven State Transport Undertakings will come under the scheme. This accounts for around 69 per cent of the 18,413 scheduled buses operated by the transport corporations. The covered services will account for around 85 per cent of the total 1,94,649 scheduled trips.
The State government estimates that around 84.32 lakh women will benefit from the scheme every day. The government has also completed the integration of the scheme with electronic ticketing machines in the buses, with trial runs conducted ahead of the October 2 launch.
The expanded programme is intended to remove restrictions that could prevent women from travelling longer distances by government buses. Students will be able to use the services to reach colleges located away from their homes, while working women can use them for commuting to workplaces. The scheme is also expected to facilitate free travel for medical appointments and other essential needs.
The Chief Minister had announced the expansion in the Assembly, stating that women should not lose educational, employment or other opportunities because of the cost of public transport. The expanded scheme has been named ‘Vetri Payanam’ and will come into effect across Tamil Nadu from October 2.
The launch from Koyambedu is expected to mark the statewide rollout of the expanded benefit, bringing a larger number of government bus services under the free-travel programme for women.