Over 397 crore women availed free travel scheme till date, claims K’taka govt
Bengaluru: The Congress-led Karnataka government has released official statistics on the beneficiaries and expenditure of one of its flagship schemes, the Shakti Scheme, which enables free travel for women across the state in RTC buses.
According to an official statement from the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), a total of 397.97 crore women passengers have availed of the scheme from its launch on June 11, 2023, until February 21, 2025. The ticket value of these passengers stands at Rs 9,743.09 crore.
This figure includes passengers from KSRTC, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), North West Karnataka Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and Kalyan Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC). On February 21, 2025, a total of 74.07 lakh women passengers travelled on RTC buses, with the ticket value amounting to Rs 20.19 crore.
At the time of the scheme’s launch, between June 11, 2023, and June 30, 2023, 10.54 crore women passengers availed of the free travel benefit, and the ticket value stood at Rs 248.30 crore.
In July 2023, the number of women passengers increased to 19.63 crore, with a total ticket value of Rs 453.07 crore. The numbers continued to rise in August 2023, reaching 20.03 crore passengers with a ticket value of Rs 459.10 crore.
However, a downward trend was observed in the following months. In September 2023, the number of passengers dropped to 18.95 crore, followed by 18.26 crore in October and 18.25 crore in November.
From December 2023 to June 2024, the number of women passengers consistently ranged between 18 crore and 19 crore. However, in June 2024, the number of free travellers increased again to 20.28 crore.
The highest recorded number was in December 2024, when 21.28 crore women passengers travelled, with a total ticket value of Rs 515.69 crore.
In Bengaluru alone, the total number of women passengers using government-run city buses since the scheme’s inception stands at 126.79 crore, with a corresponding ticket value of Rs 1,686.17 crore, according to official data.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP has strongly criticised the state government for failing to reimburse the amount owed to government-run transport corporations, warning that this could lead to serious consequences. However, the state government has dismissed the BJP’s concerns as mere propaganda, asserting that the situation is under control and that the pending payments will be released soon.