Chennai, September 21: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday reviewed preparations to launch the expanded 'Vettri Payanam’ free bus travel scheme for women, scheduled to be implemented across the state from October 2.
The Chief Minister chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat to assess the arrangements for the rollout of the scheme.
According to an official press release, Vijay had announced the initiative under Rule 110 in the Legislative Assembly on August 24, stating that women anywhere in Tamil Nadu should not have to forgo opportunities because of transportation costs. The government has identified social justice as a key objective of the initiative.
At present, the free travel facility for women is available on ordinary city buses operated by the state’s seven Transport Corporations. The benefit also covers ordinary buses operating in hill areas for journeys of up to 40 km.
Under the expanded ‘Vettri Payanam’ scheme, free travel will be extended to Express, LSS and Deluxe buses operating in metropolitan and urban areas. The scheme will also cover Mofussil Ordinary and Ghat Ordinary buses operating on routes exceeding 40 km in hill areas.
The expansion will bring 12,692 buses under the scheme, accounting for around 69 per cent of the 18,413 scheduled buses operated by the seven Transport Corporations.
According to the release, the scheme will cover1,65,312 scheduled single trips, with around84.32 lakh women expected to benefit every day.
Preparations for the rollout are also underway. The integration of Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) in buses covered by the scheme has been completed. Testing and verification are scheduled to conclude by September 25, followed by a trial run on September 27.
The scheme will be formally launched on October 2, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The government said the expanded initiative is intended to improve women’s access to public transport and facilitate travel to workplaces, educational institutions, hospitals and other essential destinations.
The scheme is also expected to benefit girl students, particularly those travelling to colleges located at greater distances from their homes, by enabling them to travel free of cost on the covered bus services.
