Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay held a review meeting at the Secretariat on September 21 to assess preparations for the expanded Vettri Payanam free bus travel scheme for women, scheduled to launch on October 2.
Vijay had announced the scheme in the Legislative Assembly on August 24 under Rule 110, stating that women across Tamil Nadu should not lose opportunities because of transportation costs.
The government said the expansion aims to make public transport more accessible to women, particularly working women and girl students.
Current Free Travel Facility
At present, women can travel free of cost on ordinary city buses operated by the state's seven transport corporations, as well as ordinary buses operating in hill areas for journeys of up to 40 km.
What the Expanded Scheme Covers
Under Vettri Payanam, the free travel facility will be expanded to include Express, LSS and Deluxe government buses operating in metropolitan and urban areas.
The scheme will also cover Mofussil Ordinary buses for inter-district travel and Ghat Ordinary buses operating on hill routes exceeding 40 km.
Technical Preparations
The preparations for implementing the scheme have also reached the technical stage. The integration of the buses covered under Vetri Payanam with Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) has been completed. Testing and verification are expected to be completed by September 25, followed by a trial run on September 27.
The expanded scheme will officially come into effect on October 2, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.
Who the Scheme Aims to Help
The government expects the initiative to support women travelling to workplaces, girl students travelling to colleges far from home, and women travelling for medical treatment and other essential services.
Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban, Chief Secretary M. Saikumar and senior government officials attended the review meeting.
