NEW DELHI: The free bus rides scheme for women launched during Aam Aadmi Party’s tenure will now have a rider. According to officials, the scheme will now be available to women residing in the national capital.
The women will now be given lifetime smart cards to avail the free ridership in DTC buses replacing the pink tickets, said officials. For this, the Delhi government will soon launch a registration process where the beneficiaries would be asked to produce proof of residence to ensure that they are residents of Delhi. “As per the eligibility criteria, the lifetime smart card will be issued only to women residing in Delhi, allowing them to travel anywhere, any time without any limitations,” an official said.
The move comes days after CM Rekha Gupta in the Assembly alleged corruption in the existing pink ticket system under the previous AAP government. “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,” Gupta said. “The card will allow women to travel freely on public buses anytime, eliminating corruption linked to ticketing,” she added, emphasising that the ticketing system will be fully digitised to enhance efficiency.
She also said that the entire system would be modernised, and the flawed existing schemes would be revamped to ensure transparency and efficiency. “Our goal is to make Delhi’s public transport more accessible, reliable and globally recognised,” Gupta said during the Budget Session of the Assembly, highlighting the broader efforts to make public transports more inclusive and efficient, particularly for women. The free bus ticket scheme was launched by the AAP on the occasion of Bhai Dooj in 2019. Women receive single-journey passes in the form of pink tickets, with the government covering the cost of Rs 10 per ticket.
Govt to soon launch registration process
The Delhi government will soon launch a registration process where the beneficiaries would be asked to produce proof of residence to ensure they are residents of Delhi. As per the eligibility criteria, the lifetime smart card will be issued only to women residing in Delhi, allowing them to travel anywhere, any time without any limitations,” an official said. The move comes days after Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in the assembly alleged corruption in the existing pink ticket system.