Free bus rides for women in Andhra | TDP govt to launch scheme from August 15

Hyderabad: After Delhi and Telangana, the Andhra Pradesh government will now be launching a free bus travel scheme for women starting August 15.

This move fulfills a key campaign promise made by the TDP-led NDA alliance during last year's assembly elections, which committed to providing free travel for women on APSRTC buses.

The government has officially named this initiative the 'Sthree Sakthi' scheme and will inaugurate it on Independence Day. In an inclusive expansion of the programme, Andhra Pradesh authorities have also decided to extend these free bus travel benefits to transgenders as well.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday issued comprehensive guidelines for the "Free Bus Travel for Women Scheme" covering five categories of buses operated by the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) across the state.

The government has decided to launch the scheme using the existing fleet, with plans to procure additional buses based on demand and response. The scheme will apply exclusively to specific service categories like Pallevelugu, Ultra Pallevelugu, City Ordinary, Metro Express, and Express services.

Several bus categories remain excluded from the scheme, including all non-stop services, interstate services of any category, contract carriage services, chartered services, and package tours. Premium services such as Saptagiri Express, Ultra Deluxe, Super Luxury, Star Liner, and all air-conditioned buses are also not covered under the initiative.

Eligible women are permitted free travel on enclave route services. The government has prioritised passenger security, contemplating the provision of body-worn cameras for all female conductors and installation of CCTV cameras in all buses. Additionally, public amenities at bus stations, including fans, seating, drinking water, and toilet facilities, will be upgraded.

Future considerations include procuring electric buses and potentially extending the scheme to cover these vehicles, subject to Cabinet approval. The government will issue zero-fare tickets to all eligible women travelers and reimburse APSRTC based on claims for these complimentary tickets.

However, the announcement has drawn criticism from the opposition. YSRCP Women's Wing Working President SV Vijay Manohari accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of betraying women with a restrictive scheme, announced 14 months after the coalition government's formation.

Speaking at Kurnool's YSRCP office, she criticised Naidu for limiting the scheme to 6,000 of the state's 12,000 buses, covering only short-range services like Palle Velugu and City Metro. This contrasts sharply with earlier promises of unrestricted travel, including access to premium AC buses like Garuda and Amaravati services to pilgrimage destinations such as Tirupati and Srisailam.

"This is a mockery of election promises," Manohari said, demanding unconditional access to all bus categories for women travelers.