New Delhi: The Delhi government announced on Thursday that its free bus travel scheme for women will now be restricted to residents of the city. To implement
this policy, the transport department has started work on introducing a ‘lifetime’ smart card that will grant access to free travel benefits.
The BJP-led government is preparing to initiate the registration process for women who wish to apply for the smart card. This decision follows Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s recent remarks in the Assembly, where she accused the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of corruption in the distribution of ‘pink tickets.’
“We are committed to providing this service to women. Corruption will not be tolerated. We will introduce digital travel cards for women, putting an end to the ‘pink corruption’ tied to physical tickets,” Gupta stated.
She explained that the new digital system would ensure transparency and prevent irregularities in ticket distribution. The smart card will allow women to travel on public buses at any time while modernizing the public transport infrastructure for efficiency and reliability.
The pink ticket scheme was originally launched by AAP on Bhai Dooj in 2019, allowing women to travel for free on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses. Under this initiative, women were issued pink-colored single-journey passes, and the government reimbursed bus operators at Rs 10 per ticket. The scheme led to a significant rise in female ridership on public transport. Following the BJP’s victory in the February 5 Assembly elections, marking its return to power in Delhi after 26 years, the government is expected to roll out the smart card initiative in the coming weeks.
According to officials, the smart card will be exclusively available to women residing in Delhi and will provide unlimited free travel within the city. The government is prioritizing this scheme to enhance accessibility and ensure benefits reach genuine residents.