A report, titled Fare-Free Bus Travel Scheme for Women: Lessons from Delhi, published by the World Resources Institute (WRI) India has claimed that the Delhi government’s Fare-Free Public Transport (FFPT) scheme for women, introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in October 2019, significantly boosted women’s access to jobs, education and healthcare, while also helping them save money as they travel farther and more frequently across the capital.

The report said women’s ridership in Delhi’s public buses increased by 20 per cent between 2019 and 2023, ever since the Delhi government introduced the Fare-Free Public Transport (FFPT) scheme for women.

The initiative launched in Delhi which allows women to travel for free on both Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses, has not only increased access to public transport but also altered travel patterns, employment opportunities, and safety perceptions.

Authored by Harshita Jamba, Aravinda Devaraj and Chaitanya Kanuri, the findings detail the impacts of the FFPT scheme on women’s mobility patterns and choices, access to opportunities, and experience of safety during bus travel in Delhi.

The researchers, based on a survey that included 28 per cent of respondents from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) with annual household incomes below `3,00,000, and an additional 57per cent from households earning under `6,00,000, found that the share of female ridership rose from 33 per cent to 42 per cent from 2019-20 to 20222-23, going by the state’s planning department data.

Among the 2010 women bus users surveyed across 15 spatially distributed locations in Delhi, 95 per cent were captive users who lacked access to a private vehicle and relied on buses due to economic constraints. The fare waiver has effectively made women less dependent on male family members, enabling them to travel alone or cover transport costs for other family members, the authors added. The study highlighted that insufficient and inefficient bus services, which result in overcrowding and harassment, continue to affect women’s access to safe and reliable bus services. The survey found that 59 per cent of women expressed concerns about safety due to hostile behaviour from staff.

The report said some have welcomed the scheme as a step in the right direction to improve women’s mobility, but some bus users and on-ground transport staff have bristled at it. The backlash has come in the form of discriminatory remarks and exclusionary actions from bus crew members and male co-passengers. Ridership trends show a steady increase in women’s share of the daily bus ridership from 33 per cent in 2019-20 to 42 per cent in 2022-23

According to the report, over 90 percent of these women use buses on a weekly basis for work, education, care giving, and discretionary activities. As many as 95 percent of the women in our sample lack access to a private vehicle and rely on buses due to economic constraints. They reported that the FFPT scheme saved up to eight per cent of their household income per month. The fare waiver has also made women less dependent on male family members, enabling them to travel alone or pay transport costs for other family members.

Fare-free public transport (FFPT), also known as “free public transport,” allows passengers to use public transport services, such as buses or trains, within a defined geographical area or during specific periods without paying fares or purchasing tickets.