Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday launched an expanded free bus travel scheme for women, with the state government estimating that about 84.32 lakh women will benefit every day.
The 'Vettri Payanam' scheme, launched on Gandhi Jayanti, covers women across income groups and removes the limit on daily trips.
The government said there is no income ceiling for beneficiaries. They can now use 'deluxe' and 'express' services, which were earlier outside the free travel facility.
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At the launch, Vijay interacted with passengers and handed out free tickets. He described the scheme as a means to foster equality, saying there should be no distinction in travel rights.
The expanded scheme covers 12,692 buses run by seven state transport corporations, according to the government's press release.
Until now, women could travel free only on ordinary buses in metropolitan and urban areas, and on ordinary buses in hill areas up to 40 km.
The scheme now extends to Express, LSS and Deluxe buses in cities and urban areas, mofussil ordinary buses, and ghat ordinary buses on hill routes of more than 40 km. It is meant to provide fare-free travel for women and transgender persons on designated government services.
Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban called the initiative a "social revolution" meant to help women step out of their homes and contribute to the state's growth.
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The scheme was launched at the Koyambedu and Ambattur depots in Chennai. The government said linking of Electronic Ticketing Machines on the buses has been completed.
Background
Vijay announced the expansion under Rule 110 in the Legislative Assembly on August 24, saying that no woman in Tamil Nadu should lose opportunities because of transport fares, with social justice as the government's guiding thought.
The government has said girl students will be able to travel free to far-off colleges, and women to workplaces and for medical needs.
The name is drawn from the ruling party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, and means "victorious journey". Free travel for women on ordinary city buses was first introduced in the state in 2021 under the previous DMK government.
Several other states run similar schemes. Karnataka launched its 'Shakti' scheme in 2023, and Telangana's 'Mahalakshmi' scheme began in December 2023. Telangana reported in July 2025 that women had taken over 200 crore free rides under its scheme, saving over Rs 6,700 crore.
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