The Tamil Nadu government has extended free bus travel under the ‘Vettri Payanam’ scheme to persons with disabilities and one accompanying escort, allowing them to travel without paying fares on state-run transport corporation buses, officials said on Thursday.
A Government Order issued on October 27 allows eligible beneficiaries to avail themselves of a 100 per cent fare concession using their 16-digit Unique Disability ID (UDID) card issued by the state government.
The concession covers regular city and town buses, low-floor buses, express buses, Limited Stop Services (LSS), Deluxe buses, and ordinary-fare mofussil and hilly-terrain services. Air-conditioned buses are excluded. Persons with disabilities who cannot travel independently may be accompanied by one escort.
Bus conductors will issue zero-value tickets after verifying the passenger’s UDID card to record journeys made by beneficiaries and their escorts.
With the introduction of the UDID-linked system, free bus pass cards issued for the 2026-27 financial year will no longer be valid, the order said. The revised concession takes effect from the date of the order.
The government had allocated Rs 95 crore for bus concessions in the 2026-27 Budget and has now sanctioned additional funds, taking the total estimated allocation to Rs 114 crore.
Under the previous system, beneficiaries received free bus passes for travel from their residence for education, employment, self-employment, rehabilitation and medical treatment. Visually impaired persons were entitled to unconditional free travel within a 100-km radius on city and other buses.
(With PTI inputs)