Vijay expands Tamil Nadu free bus travel for women

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay launched the expanded Vettri Payanam free bus travel scheme for women in Chennai on October 2, widening the range of state-run bus services eligible for fare-free travel. Government estimates cited in reports say about 84.32 lakh women are expected to benefit each day. The expansion includes express, limited-stop and deluxe services in metropolitan and urban areas, as well as ordinary mofussil buses and ordinary buses on hill routes extending beyond 40 kilometres. The programme extends an existing free-travel arrangement that had been limited to ordinary city and urban buses. Reports also say transgender people are eligible to travel free on designated services. Vijay launched the scheme in Chennai on Gandhi Jayanti. At Koyambedu Bus Terminus, he distributed tickets and interacted with passengers, according to descriptions of the launch. The expanded service is operated through Tamil Nadu’s seven state transport corporations. Reports differ slightly on how many buses are covered: one gives a total of 12,695, while two others report 12,692.