AP Free Bus Travel Scheme Completes One Year, Says CM Chandrababu Naidu

The Andhra Pradesh government’s Stree Shakti scheme, launched on August 15 last year, has completed one year. The scheme provides women with free bus travel across the state without restrictions on the number of journeys. The initiative aims to reduce the daily travel expenses of women and promote their economic empowerment. Around 24 lakh women are travelling every day under the scheme, with 87 crore journeys recorded since its launch. The government is providing an average daily subsidy of Rs. 8.53 crore and has spent Rs. 3,095 crore on the scheme so far.

The scheme is being implemented on five categories of APSRTC buses, including Express, Ultra Pallevelugu, Pallevelugu, Metro Express and City Ordinary services. Of the 9,978 APSRTC buses in the state, 7,631 buses, or 76 percent, are being used for the scheme. The facility is also available on special buses operated to temples. The share of women passengers in APSRTC buses has increased from 40 percent before the scheme to 62 percent now, while daily women passengers have risen from 9.47 lakh to 24 lakh. The occupancy rate on buses covered under the scheme has reached 93 percent.