Fifth-time Puducherry CM Rangasamy has proposed free bus travel plan for women: Why now?

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Friday said the territorial government was considering introducing free bus travel for women on public-sector Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) buses, following the expansion of a similar scheme in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of a private function in Puducherry on October 2, Rangasamy said the administration had wanted to introduce such a scheme several years ago, but its implementation had been delayed.

“We have now intensified our efforts to introduce free bus travel for women as had been done in the neighbouring state (Tamil Nadu),” he said.

The announcement comes on the same day Tamil Nadu launched an expanded version of its free bus travel scheme for women. Under the expanded Vetri Payanam scheme, free travel has been extended to additional categories of government buses, including Express, Limited Stop Service and Deluxe buses in urban areas, as well as Mofussil Ordinary and Ghat Ordinary buses on routes beyond 40 km.

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Puducherry plans to add 100 buses

Rangasamy also said the Puducherry government would procure 100 additional buses to strengthen the PRTC fleet.

The proposed expansion is intended to help the transport corporation cover more areas and increase services on existing routes. The move could also provide additional capacity if the government proceeds with the proposed free travel scheme for women.

However, Rangasamy's comments indicate that the free travel plan is currently under consideration and has not yet been announced as an implemented scheme in Puducherry.

Tamil Nadu's expanded scheme takes effect

Tamil Nadu's expanded free travel scheme for women was launched on October 2. The state government has said the initiative covers 12,692 designated government buses and is expected to benefit about 84.32 lakh women every day. The designated services account for around 69% of the fleet operated by the state's seven State Transport Corporations.

The expansion goes beyond the existing free travel facility on ordinary city and town buses. It includes Express, Limited Stop Service and Deluxe buses within corporation and municipal limits, along with Mofussil Ordinary and Ghat Ordinary buses on routes beyond 40 km.

The scheme is intended to reduce transport costs for women and girl students travelling for employment, education, business and access to essential services.

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Private bus operators had raised concerns

The expansion in Tamil Nadu had also triggered concerns among private bus operators. The Federation of Bus Operators' Association of Tamil Nadu had announced a proposed 24-hour strike over demands including fare revision and the extension of the free-travel scheme to private buses with government compensation.

However, the proposed strike was subsequently deferred after the state government assured the federation that its major demands would be considered through discussions.

Private operators had argued that an expansion of free travel on government buses could affect their passenger numbers and revenue, while government transport corporations receive financial support for operating the scheme.

What the Puducherry proposal means

If approved, Puducherry's proposed scheme would extend a similar form of subsidised public transport to women travelling on PRTC buses. The government would need to determine the eligibility rules, routes and bus categories covered, as well as the financial mechanism for compensating the public transport corporation.

The proposed purchase of 100 additional buses could simultaneously increase PRTC's capacity and expand coverage across Puducherry.

For now, however, the key development is that the Puducherry government is considering the proposal, rather than having formally launched free bus travel for women.