Delhi buses’ pink passes reach 100 Cr mark

An official statement on Friday stated that the number of pink passes given to women who ride in state-run buses has reached the 100-crore mark.

The city government noted that 25% of women rode state-run buses in 2020–21, and that number rose to 33% in 2022–23, claiming that Delhi was the first city in India to introduce free travel for women on such a large scale.

According to the statement, the ridership of Delhi buses (DTC and DIMTS combined) is gradually edging closer to its pre-Covid levels.

Over 160 crore passengers rode Delhi buses in 2019–20. It said that as a result of the Covid pandemic, it fell to 71 crore in 2020–21 but slightly increased to 93 crore in 2021–22.

Since April 2022, it has increased to almost 125 crore, or nearly 75% of the pre-Covid numbers.

Since women have been able to travel for free since October 2019, the ridership of pink tickets has increased over these years, rising from 25% in 2020–21 and 28% in 2021–22 to almost 33% in 2022–23 as of today.

The combined ridership of the DTC and DIMTS buses in 2022 was 36 lakh per day on average, rising to 40 lakh per day in a short period of time.

According to the statement, nearly 32% of all passengers travelling in a month in the same year took advantage of free travel for women via pink tickets.

Kailash Gahlot, the minister of transport for Delhi, described it as a ‘important milestone’ for both the government and all Delhi residents.

‘Under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi has shown how free travel can empower women in the city. The rising number of women bus travellers over the years shows the impact it has created and how much they have benefited from this scheme,’ Gahlot said.

‘Delhi government has spent Rs 1,000 crores on the pink passes issued over these years,’ Gahlot added.

Women’s participation in the workforce is a key factor in social progress and economic growth. According to the statement, women were provided with free transportation on all buses run by the Delhi government in order to support their mobility.

Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, CCTV cameras, panic buttons, and bus marshalls are all standard on all Delhi buses. It said that it increases the window of opportunity for women to enter the workforce.