Women’s free travel in public buses is to be restricted to only Delhi residents. The Delhi government will soon introduce a “smart travel card” or “smart bus pass” which will allow women to travel for free on public buses — replacing the ‘pink ticket’ scheme introduced under the AAP tenure.
The Delhi government has announced that its free bus ride scheme for women will now be limited to residents of the city. To facilitate this, the transport department will introduce a ‘lifetime’ smart card, ensuring only eligible women can avail of the benefit. The registration process for the new smart card will begin in the coming weeks. The initiative follows allegations by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta regarding corruption in the existing ‘pink ticket’ system introduced by the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
“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,” Rekha Gupta said.
“The card will allow women to travel freely on public buses anytime, eliminating corruption linked to ticketing,” she added, emphasising that the ticketing system will be fully digitised to enhance efficiency. She also said that the entire system would be modernised and the flawed existing schemes would be revamped to ensure transparency and efficiency.
“Our goal is to make Delhi’s public transport more accessible, reliable and globally recognised,” Delhi CM said during the Budget Session of the Assembly, highlighting the broader efforts to make public transports more inclusive and efficient, particularly for women.
The pink ticket scheme, launched by the AAP on the occasion of Bhai Dooj in 2019, offers free travel to women on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and over 150 crore pink tickets have been sold so far. Under it, any woman can travel for free on buses run by DTC and cluster bus services. According to government data, the Delhi government has spent Rs 1,910.79 crore on pink passes subsidy from 2019 to 2024. Women receive single-journey passes in the form of pink tickets, with Delhi government covering the cost — priced at Rs 10 per ticket — and compensating the bus companies based on the total number of tickets issued.
Participation in the scheme is voluntary, leading to a rise in the number of women using public transport in the national capital. The BJP, which formed the government in Delhi after more than 26 years following its landslide victory in the February 5 Assembly polls, is expected to begin work on the smart card initiative within the next two to three weeks.
As per the eligibility criteria, the lifetime smart card will be issued only to women residing in Delhi, allowing them to travel anywhere, any time without any limitations, an official said. The lifetime card will be issued soon, reaffirming the government’s dedication to public welfare, the official added.
Presenting the Rs 1 lakh crore Delhi Budget for 2025-26 on March 25, Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, allocated Rs 12,952 crore for the development of the public transport system in the capital, marking a significant rise from last year’s allotment of Rs 9,337 crore.
