Freebies or freedom? What bus subsidies do for Indian women

by January 23, 2026 Commute
Free bus travel for women in Indian cities cuts transport costs by 50 per cent and boosts jobs. Watch this interview to know more.

Across Indian cities, women depend heavily on buses to get to work, school, healthcare, and to manage everyday caregiving. In recent years, several states have introduced women-specific bus fare subsidy schemes. Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu offer completely free rides for women in state-run buses, while Maharashtra offers 50% subsidy.

Read more: Who benefits from the free bus for women scheme?

These schemes have been both vilified as ‘freebies’ or touted as transformative solutions for women’s mobility. But do these schemes actually work?

In 2025, the Sustainable Mobility Network commissioned a study to answer this very question. Beyond Free Rides is an assessment of the impact of full, partial and no bus subsidies on women’s mobility, economic and education opportunities.

In this video, we speak to Rhea Karan, Project Lead, Sustainable Mobility Network.

Rhea walks us through the key findings: why buses remain essential for women regardless of subsidy status, how full fare waivers can cut transport costs by up to half, and why outcomes around employment and education vary widely by city. The conversation also confronts the persistent gaps — unsafe travel, overcrowding, expensive first- and last-mile journeys, and social backlash against women using subsidised transport.

Watch the full interview here.

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About Bhanu Sridharan

Bhanu is the Engagement Editor at Citizen Matters, Bengaluru. She previously worked an independent journalist and primarily covered environmental issues. Her work has been published in Mongabay India, the Wire, Caravan and Citizen Matters. She is interested in issues of justice, equity, access to nature and how Bengaluru's growth impacts nature and people.
Read more by Bhanu Sridharan

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