VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh’s flagship ‘Stree Shakti’ scheme, which provides free bus travel for women in Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) services, marks its first anniversary on Saturday, August 15, having recorded over 87 crore journeys since its inception.
Official data highlights a massive surge in public transit adoption, with the daily average of women commuters rising from 9.47 lakh to 24 lakh. Women now constitute 62 per cent of total APSRTC bus passengers, up from 40 per cent prior to the scheme’s rollout, pushing bus occupancy levels on covered routes to 93 per cent.
To sustain the initiative, the State government incurs a daily subsidy of Rs 8.53 crore, bringing the total expenditure over the past year to Rs 3,095 crore.
The facility is operational across 7,631 APSRTC buses — representing 76 per cent of the total fleet — spanning five distinct categories: Pallevelugu, Ultra Pallevelugu, Express, Metro Express, and City Ordinary.
To mark the one-year milestone, CM N Chandrababu Naidu will host a special statewide celebration under the theme ‘One Year of Stree Shakti.’