Telangana's Mahalakshmi free bus scheme, running since December 2023, has sharply cut what Hyderabad women spend on travel, says a joint study by the Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in Vijayawada and New Delhi. It surveyed 410 women in the GHMC area who use the scheme; 49% were students and about 63% did not own a vehicle.
Key findings
- Average cost per trip fell from ₹30.4 to ₹9.7, about 68%.
- Women who mainly use TGSRTC buses rose from 43.8% to 71.2%.
- Average trip length rose from 7.5 km to 8 km; social trips got 22.8% longer and health trips 15.5% longer.
- Savings by monthly household income: about 73% below ₹20,000, 69% for ₹20,001–₹50,000, and 62% above ₹2 lakh.
Women under 20 gained most in how far and how often they travel, and women over 40 saved the most. Students and informal workers shifted most to buses, while homemakers benefited mainly from lower costs. The aim was to "understand whether the scheme has improved women's mobility and quality of life", SPA Delhi's Pavan Kumar Machavarapu told the Times of India, as cited by Siasat.
A separate, smaller University of Hyderabad survey of 60 women found monthly transport spending fell from ₹1,295 to ₹228 (82%). Neither study gives the scheme's cost to the state.
