A woman boards a bus and shows no ticket. She pays nothing. Is this a gift from the State, or a step towards equality?
This lesson looks at both sides. It covers the schemes, the evidence, the legal questions and the costs.
- The schemes: six States now give women free rides on State buses.
- The case for: cheaper travel frees women to work, study and move about.
- The case against: it is untargeted, costly and may strain bus services.
- The law: Article 15(3) allows special provisions for women.
- The Supreme Court: the wider freebies case went to a three-judge bench in 2022.
Why Public Space Feels Male
Why do so few women loiter in Indian streets?
Look at a street corner, a bus stand or a tea stall. Most people there are men. Women pass through quickly, with a reason to be there.
The book Why Loiter? by Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan and Shilpa Ranade makes this point. Women are expected to be at home. In public they feel unsafe or unwelcome. So they avoid just standing, sitting or wandering.
Sources: The Hindu op-ed, Thulasi K. Raj and Bastian Steuwer, 2 Aug 2023.
How can a bus fare keep a woman at home?
A fare may look small. But a woman who earns nothing must ask her husband or father for the money. A working woman loses part of her pay on the commute.
Remove the fare and the trip costs nothing. More women can travel, and the street starts to look less male.
Sources: The Hindu op-ed, Thulasi K. Raj and Bastian Steuwer, 2 Aug 2023.
Check 1
The authors of the Hindu op-ed argue that free fares may make public space less male.
The Schemes
Which States give women free bus rides?
| State | Scheme | Start |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | Pink ticket | 29 October 2019 |
| Punjab | Free travel on government buses | April 2021 |
| Tamil Nadu | Vidiyal Payanam | 2021 |
| Karnataka | Shakti | 11 June 2023 |
| Telangana | Mahalakshmi | 9 December 2023 |
| Andhra Pradesh | Stree Shakti | 15 August 2025 |
Rules differ. Karnataka and Telangana exclude air-conditioned and luxury buses. Andhra Pradesh excludes non-stop services. Most require proof of local residence.
Sources: The Week on the Delhi launch; The News Minute on the Shakti launch; Vikaspedia on free bus travel for women; Deccan Herald on the Stree Shakti launch.
How did Karnataka’s Shakti scheme begin?
Shakti was the first of the Congress government’s five poll guarantees. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah started it on 11 June 2023.
In its first three days, about 98.6 lakh women used it. By July 2025 the scheme had passed 500 crore trips.
Sources: The News Minute on the Shakti launch; The Hindu op-ed, Thulasi K. Raj and Bastian Steuwer, 2 Aug 2023; The Week on 500 crore Shakti trips.
What the Evidence Shows
What happened to ridership in Tamil Nadu?
- The State budget speech said women’s share of bus passengers rose from 40 to 61 per cent.
- A 2023-24 government survey put the share at about 66 per cent.
- A study by the Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) found each woman saved about ₹800 a month. The government survey gave ₹888.
For a poor household, ₹800 a month is a real sum.
Sources: South First on the CAG study of Tamil Nadu; DT Next on the Tamil Nadu survey.
Does free travel raise women’s employment?
The honest answer is: we do not know yet. Greenpeace India claims the schemes raised incomes and mobility. But it is a claim, not a proof.
The female labour force participation rate (LFPR) was 41.7 per cent in 2023-24. It was 40.0 per cent in 2025. The two reports use different periods, so they are not directly comparable. Many factors move this number. One bus scheme cannot explain it.
Sources: The Hindu on the Greenpeace India letter, 29 May 2023; PIB, PLFS annual report 2023-24; PIB, PLFS annual report 2025.
Check 2
Official data prove that free bus travel has raised women’s employment across India.
Think it through. More women ride the bus. Does that prove they are travelling to work?
Show the explanation
No. A rise in trips could come from visits to hospitals, markets or relatives. Those trips also matter. But to claim a jobs effect, we need surveys that follow the same women before and after. That is why researchers call for careful studies.
The Two Criticisms
Is free bus travel just a freebie?
Critics say the schemes are untargeted. A well-off woman gets the same benefit as a poor one. They also say it is a vote-catching promise.
The Hindu authors reply that schools, hospitals, parks and roads are free public goods too. The aim here is a more equal public space. Including richer women does not harm that aim.
Sources: The Hindu op-ed, Thulasi K. Raj and Bastian Steuwer, 2 Aug 2023.
Is it unfair to men under Article 15?
Article 15(1) bars the State from discriminating on grounds of sex. So some ask whether free rides only for women are valid.
The answer lies in Article 15(3). It lets the State make special provisions for women and children. In Government of Andhra Pradesh v P.B. Vijayakumar (1995), the Supreme Court said women have been socially and economically handicapped for centuries. It upheld a reservation for women in State jobs.
Challenges to the Delhi scheme failed on the same ground, say the authors.
Sources: The Hindu op-ed, Thulasi K. Raj and Bastian Steuwer, 2 Aug 2023.
What did the Supreme Court do about “freebies”?
This is a separate, wider question. Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay filed a petition in January 2022. He asked the Election Commission to stop parties promising freebies before elections.
On 26 August 2022, a bench led by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana sent the case to a three-judge bench. It also questioned the 2013 ruling in S. Subramaniam Balaji, which held that such promises are not a corrupt practice. On 1 November 2022, the Lalit-led bench repeated the reference.
The case is not about women’s travel alone. It asks what counts as a freebie versus a welfare measure.
Sources: LiveLaw on the 2022 freebies reference; SC Observer on the freebies case.
Check 3
Article 15(3) allows the State to make special provisions for women and children.
Costs and What More Is Needed
What does the scheme cost?
- Karnataka estimated about ₹4,051 crore a year at launch.
- Its 2026-27 budget sets aside ₹5,300 crore for Shakti.
- The 2026-27 budget speech counts 684 crore trips by women under the scheme so far.
The State repays bus corporations for the free tickets. Delays can leave them short of money for new buses. Crowding at peak hours is another complaint in Karnataka.
Sources: South First on Karnataka Budget 2026-27; The Week on 500 crore Shakti trips.
What else do women need besides a free ticket?
Greenpeace India asked Karnataka to raise the BMTC fleet to 14,000 buses and build 11 bus lanes in Bengaluru. It wanted safe, accessible buses.
The Hindu authors add a caution. Sexual harassment and poor infrastructure remain. A free ticket helps only if the journey is safe and the bus actually comes.
- More buses and better frequency.
- Safe stops, lighting and women conductors.
- Timely repayment to bus corporations.
- Studies that track women’s jobs and incomes.
Sources: The Hindu on the Greenpeace India letter, 29 May 2023; The Hindu op-ed, Thulasi K. Raj and Bastian Steuwer, 2 Aug 2023.
Think it through. Would targeting only poor women be a better design?
Show the explanation
It would cut costs. But checking who is poor takes paperwork, and the poorest often miss out. A free ticket for all is simple and removes the stigma. The trade-off is cost against reach, and States choose differently.
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