VISAKHAPATNAM: As many as 40.87 crore women availed the free travel facility in APSRTC buses from August 15, 2025 to January 31, 2026 in the State under the Stree Shakti Scheme. The total value of zero fare tickets issued during the period was put at Rs 1,440.60 crore. Visakhapatnam district reported the highest number of 4.14 crore zero-fare passengers in the State with a total value of Rs 110.20 crore, accounting for 8% of the total value.
It was followed by NTR and Palnadu districts. Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district figured at the bottom of the list as only 0.11 crore women availed the free bus travel facility under the Stree Shakti Scheme with the zero-fare ticket value of Rs 4.62 crore. In total, 5.7 crore passengers travelled in RTC buses in Visakhapatnam during the period, generating Rs 177.53 crore revenue. The district recorded an average of 3.37 lakh bus passengers a day and of which 2.44 were women. The average daily ticket value of free travel was Rs 65.20 lakh.
Speaking to TNIE, RTC Regional Manager B Appala Naidu said, “Visakhapatnam stood first in the State in terms of number of women availed the free travel facility under the Stree Shakti scheme, and the total value of zero fare tickets.”
To address operational issues in Visakhapatnam, awareness sessions are being conducted and staff are being counselled to ensure the effective implementation of the Stree Shakti scheme, he said.