In place of the previous system of pink tickets, Delhi’s free bus ride program for women will now only be available to Delhi residents.
Lifetime smart cards will be given to women so they can ride Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses for free.
Delhi’s Free Bus Ride Program For Women To Only Be Available For Delhi Residents
To guarantee that only Delhi residents gain, the Delhi government will start a registration process that requires proof of residency.
The AAP government’s current pink ticket system has corruption, which CM Rekha Gupta referred to as “pink corruption.”
She said, “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.”
The goal of the digital smart card system is to increase public transportation’s efficiency and eradicate corruption.
The government intends to modernize the entire system, increasing the accessibility, dependability, and international recognition of Delhi’s public transportation.
Women Can Travel For Free In Delhi Metro, DTC Buses?
On Bhai Dooj in 2019, the AAP first introduced the free bus ticket program, giving women pink, government-funded single-journey tickets that cost ₹10.
The new system will completely digitize ticketing, improving accessibility and transparency for female commuters.
In 2019, it was announced that every woman can now travel for free in Delhi Metro, and buses run by Delhi Transport Corporation or DTC.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had justified this decision by citing ‘security’ for women. During the announcement, he said, “Right now our concern is the safety of women.” A total of Rs 700 crore was to be spent if the Cabinet approved this decision and if women started traveling for free in Delhi Metro and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses. CM Kejriwal also made it clear that if women wanted to pay for the ticket and avoid availing of this subsidy, they were free to do so.
