Tamil Nadu Expands Free Bus Travel for Women from October 2 Under ‘Vetri Payanam’
Tamil Nadu’s expanded ‘Vetri Payanam’ scheme begins October 2, covering 12,692 government buses and benefiting around 84.32 lakh women every day.
Dharshini
???? Tamil Nadu Expands Free Bus Travel for Women from October 2
Tamil Nadu is expanding its existing free bus travel facility for women under the ‘Vetri Payanam’ scheme from October 2, 2026. The expanded programme will bring several additional categories of government bus services under the free-travel facility for women across the state.
Under the expansion, women will be able to travel free of cost on Express, LSS (Limited Stop Service) and Deluxe buses operating in metropolitan and urban areas. The facility will also cover mofussil Ordinary buses and Ordinary buses operating on hill routes for distances exceeding 40 kilometres.
According to the details released ahead of the rollout, 12,692 buses operated by Tamil Nadu's seven State Transport Undertakings will be covered under the scheme. This represents around 69% of the 18,413 scheduled government buses operated by the transport corporations. The covered services account for around 85% of scheduled single trips.
The Tamil Nadu government estimates that approximately 84.32 lakh women could benefit from the expanded facility every day. The scheme is intended to make it easier for women to travel to workplaces, colleges, hospitals and other essential destinations without having to pay bus fares on the covered services.
Preparations for the rollout have included integration of the eligible buses with electronic ticketing machines, along with testing and trial runs ahead of the October 2 launch.
???? ‘Vetri Payanam’ – Key Details
???? Effective from: October 2, 2026
???? Scheme: ‘Vetri Payanam’
???? Beneficiaries: Women
???? Buses covered: 12,692
???? Share of scheduled buses: Around 69%
???? Estimated daily beneficiaries: Around 84.32 lakh women
???? Transport undertakings: 7
The expanded scheme is expected to increase the number of government bus services available for free travel by women across Tamil Nadu.
