In 4 years, Delhi free-bus ride scheme woos 20% more women travellers: Report | Delhi News

The report, titled Fare-Free Bus Travel Scheme for Women: Lessons from Delhi, is a working paper published by the World Resources Institute (WRI) India. 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.

Quantitative data was gathered from a survey of over 2,000 women bus users in the national capital, as well as qualitative data from interviews with 36 students, workers, and other women from two low-income housing settlements.

When the scheme was introduced in October 2019, 33 per cent of the bus ridership comprised women.

Four years later, in 2023, female ridership shot up to 42 per cent. The report attributes this increase to the removal of cost barriers, which has particularly benefited low-income and daily-wage workers. Women who previously used auto-rickshaws now save an average of Rs 2,300 per month, whereas those who previously relied on the Metro now save Rs 1,690 per month. Almost six out of 10 women surveyed save at least Rs 500 per month.

“Delhi’s FFPT scheme was proposed, and has been entirely financed, by the Delhi government. In the current financial model, more than 70 per cent of the Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) revenue and 100 per cent of Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System’s (DIMTS) revenue comes from the Delhi government in the form of grant-in-aid or viability gap funding (VGF) to cover operational deficits and subsidies for concessional passes. In 2022-23, the subsidy the government gave the DTC and DIMTS toward the FFPT scheme (INR 4 billion) amounted to 10.4 percent of the total funding given to cover operational deficits (INR 43 billion),” the study noted.

The policy has also increased the frequency of travel among women. Many respondents in the study reported using buses more often for work, education, and healthcare trips. The impact was more pronounced in lower-income groups, where transportation costs were previously a significant burden.

“Nearly a fifth of the sample reported using the bus more frequently due to the FFPT scheme. Their reported increase in bus travel averaged 15 more days per month,” the paper notes.

The study found that free bus travel has made women less dependent on males or other family members, as well as allowed women to opt for AC buses more frequently.

Another finding is that free bus travel has made public transport a safer and more reliable option for women. With more women using buses, there is now higher female representation in public spaces, which has led to an increased sense of security. Many respondents stated that they preferred buses over other modes of transport, including shared autorickshaws and e-rickshaws, because of safety concerns.

The major challenges faced by women are the unreliability of bus services and crowding.

“Seventy-two percent of women experience significant travel disruptions due to unreliable bus services. Despite the supposed average wait time of 10 minutes, buses frequently deviate from their schedules and fail to maintain consistent arrival times, leading to prolonged waiting periods,” the study noted.

Overcrowding also exposes women to the threat of physical harassment from men. The report makes three main recommendations to improve the uptake of the scheme in the national capital: improving the quality of bus services, sensitizing DTC staff members and collecting gender-aggregated mobility data to ensure periodic monitoring and evaluation.