Delhi News: No More Free Rides For Women? BJP Govt Limits Bus Travel Perks To Locals

To restrict the Delhi government's free bus ride scheme only to local women, Delhi's transport department has launched a 'lifetime' free smart card for residents, reported PTI citing officials on Thursday. Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had announced changes in AAP government's Delhi bus free ride policy for women.

After some time, it would be mandatory for women to travel in Delhi buses with smart cards to avail the benefit of free rides. The Delhi government will soon launch a registration process for women to apply for these bus cards. Only local women are eligible to apply for these 'lifetime' smart card to avail the benefit of free bus rides in Delhi.

The announcement has come days after Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had lashed out at the previous AAP government for the existing 'pink ticket' system.

"We are committed to providing this service to women. Corruption will not be tolerated. We will introduce digital travel cards for women, putting an end to the 'pink corruption' tied to physical tickets," said Rekha Gupta earlier.

What is Delhi Bus's Pink Ticket Scheme?

The pink ticket scheme was launched by former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2019 on the occasion of Bhai Dooj. As per the system, all the women were offered free single-journey passes on Delhi Transport Corporation buses. According to reports, Delhi government used to pay Rs 10 per pink ticket issued to women passengers as per the scheme.

Delhi Bus's Pink Ticket Scheme To End Soon: Can Woman Still Travel For Free?
Yes, women can still travel for free in Delhi buses after the end of pink ticket scheme. However, only local women with the newly launched 'lifetime' free pass would be eligible for free DTC bus rides in the city.

Rising Debt of DTC

While the AAP government's free Delhi bus ride for women scheme led to a rise in the number of women travellers, its implementation also coincided with a rise in debt of the local bus operator.
According to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report released in February, the debt of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has swollen to nearly Rs 35,000 crore in the last six years.

As per CAG's report, DTC's total cumulative losses increased from Rs 25,300 crore in 2015-16 to nearly Rs 60,750 crore in 2021-22. According to an Economic Times report, the primary reasons behind the soaring debt were a shrinking fleet and poor maintenance of the buses. Nearly 45% of the buses were vulnerable to breakdowns.

Between 2015 and 2023, the DTC bus fleet declined from 4344 to 3937 buses. The public sector passenger road transport corporation could not procure only 300 electric buses during 2021-22 and 2022-23 despite the availability of funds. It was one of the reports which was tabled by the BJP government in the assembly after the CAG reports on liquor policy and health.

After tabling the CAG report, the chief minister proposed the formation of a nine-member public accounts committee and a business advisory committee to assess the situation of DTC. DTC is a public sector passenger road transport corporation which was incorporated in November 1971 as a wholly-owned corporation of the Indian government.