Mahalakshmi free bus scheme in Telangana cuts women’s travel by 68 pc

Hyderabad: The Mahalakshmi free bus scheme implemented in Telangana since December 2023 has reduced travel costs for women by 68 per cent, a joint study conducted by the Schools of Planning and Architecture in Vijayawada and New Delhi has revealed.

As part of the study, researchers assessed responses from 410 women in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) who availed the scheme. Among these, 49 per cent of users were students, while around 63 per cent did not own a vehicle.

The average cost per trip reduced from Rs 30.4 to Rs 9.7. The share of women primarily using Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) buses increased from 43.8 per cent to 71.2 per cent.

Average trip distance increased from 7.5 km to 8 km. Social trips became 22.8 per cent longer and health-related trips 15.5 per cent longer.

The scheme has impacted women from various income groups differently; women from households earning below Rs 20,000 a month saw travel costs fall by about 73 per cent, compared with 69 per cent among those earning Rs 20,001–Rs 50,000 and 62 per cent among those earning above Rs 2 lakh.

Women commuters below 20 years reported the biggest gains in travel distance and frequency, and those aged 30 to 40 years shifted most strongly to buses. Women above 40 recorded the greatest savings.

Students and informal workers showed the strongest shift to buses, while homemakers benefited mainly from lower expenses.

“The main objective of our study was to understand whether the scheme has improved women’s mobility and quality of life beyond simply reducing their travel expenses,” Pavan Kumar Machavarapu of the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

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