Hyderabad: Recent data from the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) reveals that only 30% of passengers are paying fares, while the daily passenger count has surged to 20 lakh, largely due to the Mahalakshmi scheme.
In Hyderabad alone, around 20 lakh passengers use TGSRTC services daily, with about 14 lakh of them benefiting from the Mahalakshmi scheme. This means that 70% of the city’s bus passengers are women traveling for free under the scheme.
The Mahalakshmi scheme, launched on December 9, has significantly increased the number of women passengers. This initiative allows women to travel for free, and the number of women passengers has grown substantially, enabling them to save money for other necessities.
In the initial days of the scheme, around 16 lakh passengers were traveling daily. However, this number has now risen to 20 lakh daily passengers. Since the scheme’s implementation, approximately 54 crore zero tickets have been issued to women passengers across the state.
The TGSRTC management conducted a recent analysis, which highlighted the substantial impact of the Mahalakshmi scheme on public transportation usage in Telangana. The findings underscore the scheme’s role in providing financial relief to women and promoting increased use of public transport.
