Free bus travel for women, a silent revolution: Min

CHENNAI: Transport Minister SS Sivasankar on Wednesday said that free bus travel for women has created a silent revolution in the state with the proportion of women passengers using the state bus services has increased to 61 per cent from 40 per cent.

“Free travel for women in the ordinary fare buses announced by the Chief Minister is creating a silent revolution in the state. In the next three to four years, we will know its real impact. This scheme will be hailed in the years to come like the women self-help group scheme launched by Kalaignar in 1989 to help women live independently,” the Transport Minister said at the opening of the new recreation room for the MTC employees at Saidapet depot.

Pointing out that women have made 100 crore free trips in the buses since the launch of the scheme, he said that the women travelers who constituted 40 per cent in the public transport earlier have increased to 61 per cent.

Health Minister M Subramanian, who inaugurated the new restroom built using his constituency development fund said that he allotted Rs 10 lakh to build the new restroom from his constituency development fund in 2019 following the request from the workers. “However, the work was not completed during the previous AIADMK government rule. When I raised the issue in the Assembly, I was told that Saidapet Depot was part of the 16 MTC depots to be modernised. He said that he spoke to the MTC managing director after the DMK came to power and the new restroom was built. He promised to allocate funds from his constituency development fund for any needs in the Saidapet depot.