CHENNAI: The Zero-Ticket Bus Travel (ZTBT) scheme for women has achieved its objectives with a survey conducted by the State Planning Commission of Tamil Nadu revealing that it has reduced dependence of women on their family members for mobility and fosters new opportunities for social networks and learning.
The survey which was conducted in Chennai, Nagapattinam, Tiruppur, and Madurai districts revealed that women from rural families benefited more than urban users.
"Among the users of the scheme, 39 per cent are belonged to Scheduled Caste (SC), 21 per cent belonged to MBC and 18 per cent are belonged to BC. Almost 50 per cent of the women passengers are above 40 years of age, " said a release from the state government.
"About 49.06 lakh women travel by bus per day in the year 2023-2024. The share of women among the total passengers is 66.03 per cent. About 3,013 people of third gender travel in city buses and they all save between Rs 756 to Rs 1,012 per month. The average savings of women per month is Rs 888," it added.
For this zero ticket bus travel, Tamil Nadu government recently allocated Rs 2,800 crore for this year 2023-24.
Therefore, the state government said that the women sampled for this study were less dependent on family members for their travel needs and they are being treated with respect.
"They also said that this scheme will contribute to their empowerment. Most of the women said that the amount saved through this scheme is used for their additional household expenses, " the release added.