Ponnam Prabhakar highlights success of Mahalakshmi scheme

Over 65% TGSRTC passengers are women; occupancy has shot up from 69% to an impressive 94%

Hyderabad

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said that the flagship Mahalakshmi scheme, which provides free rides to women in RTC buses, has enabled passengers to save ₹3,747 crore through the sale of 111 crore zero-fare tickets issued since its launch.

Mr. Prabhakar was speaking at a review meeting with TGSRTC officials on Saturday. He said that the scheme had greatly revitalised the corporation by increasing the occupancy ratio from 69% to an impressive 94%. Commending the scheme’s impact, he shared that women passengers constitute 65.56% of the total RTC passengers.

The Minister assured that the State government has been consistently reimbursing zero-fare tickets to the corporation. The increasing demand, he said, would be met by augmenting the fleet. Since December last year, as many as 1,389 buses have been added to the fleet.

To further enhance services, the government plans to provide rental buses for women self-help groups in Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar, Khammam and Warangal, by allocating one bus per mandal.

Published - November 23, 2024 07:46 pm IST