HYDERABAD: “Will this bus give me a free ride?” 45-year-old Anuradha checked with the woman beside her and waited for her confirmation before climbing into a Metro Express bus. Around 3 pm, an hour after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy launched the Mahalakshmi scheme which allows women and transgender persons to travel anywhere within the borders of the state in Palle Velugu and Express buses with effect from December 9, some women at the Greenlands bus stop here were seen talking amongst themselves with happiness, relief and a bit of scepticism.
Just before the bus arrived, Anuradha was buzzing with happiness, “Free bus rides would save me nearly Rs 100 a day. I can also stop panicking about not having to tender exact change to the conductor,” she smiled sheepishly. She explained that she could use the money to buy essentials like milk and groceries.
Paying rapt attention to Anuradha’s conversation with TNIE, an elderly woman walked up and said, “But this scheme should only be for young girl students and old women. I think those who are earning should pay for their tickets lest others would mock all the women for availing free services.”The scheme is part of the six guarantees promised by the Congress in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
On board an Express bus, a middle-aged woman, Shobha, said she was happy her vote was for the Congress, “We had nothing like this in the previous government. I work as a maid and get paid Rs 12,000 per month. This scheme would save me Rs 1,300 per month – that’s the cost of a Metro Express bus pass.”
While women beneficiaries express contentment with the free bus travel, there is also a visible sense of apprehension.“I have a feeling that this scheme will last for only a few months,” said Rekha, a 16-year-old girl. “With a new government comes new development schemes. But won’t the TSRTC incur losses due to this?” she asked. The youngster quickly added, “We have discussed this in our junior college also, and I think this is a temporary initiative.”
As a precautionary measure, the government has instructed the corporation to check for a valid ID and issue zero-cost tickets to all beneficiaries. It would then reimburse the TSRTC for the total chargeable fare of the beneficiaries.
Having said that, as of now, many buses are not issuing the zero-cost ticket. “We will receive proper instructions from the depot tomorrow. It might take a few days before we hand out these tickets,” a conductor said.
Besides the free bus travel scheme, many women have praised the new government for its guarantee of subsidised LPG cylinders. The promise of Rs 2,500 per month for women heads of families, which is the other part of the Mahalakshmi scheme, was also widely praised by the women.