Can Andhra Pradesh afford free bus travel for women?

Andhra Pradesh may soon join the bandwagon of offering free bus travel for women. This potential policy mirrors existing schemes in the neighbouring states, of Karnataka and Telangana, where women claim their free travel on both ordinary and express buses.

The State Government is looking into the possibility of offering free APSRTC bus travel services for women. According to the reports, discussions are taking place centering around the financial implications for APSRTC.

Currently, city buses serve approximately 40 lakh daily commuters, of which 15 lakh are women and 3-4 lakh are students. The average daily revenue generated from these passengers is Rs. 17 crores. If free bus travel is provided to women, there is estimated to be a potential loss of approximately Rs. 6 crores.

It may be recalled that N Chandrababu Naidu, the current Leader of the Opposition, promised to provide free bus travel for women if the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) wins in the next state elections.

This was proposed during TDP’s Mahanadu meeting in May 2023. Naidu recently reiterated the promise of free APSRTC bus travel for women at the Yuvagalam youth convention in Pollepalli, held jointly with the Janasena Party Leader Pawan Kalyan.

Whether and how the Andhra Pradesh State Government plans to proceed with this proposal remains unclear. As discussions progress, further details and a concrete timeline for any potential decision regarding free bus travel for women in Andhra Pradesh will likely be unveiled in the coming weeks or months.

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