Maharashtra govt announces 50% concession for women in state-run buses

Women passengers will get 50 per cent concession on tickets on all types of buses run by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) from March 17, the state-owned transporter has announced.

The benefit will be extended under the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ and the state government will reimburse the concession amount to the corporation, said a press release by MSRTC on Friday morning.

While presenting the state’s budget for 2023-24 on March 9, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the finance portfolio, had announced 50 per cent concession to all women passengers on the buses of the public transport body.

MSRTC has a fleet of over 15,000 buses and ferries over 50 lakh passengers every day. It now offers 33 per cent to 100 per cent concessions on tickets to various social groups, said the release.

MSRTC officials said it would be difficult to determine how many women will be benefited from the scheme as they were not issuing gender-linked tickets earlier. MSRTC expects the population of women passengers to be in the range of 35-40 per cent of its total bus users, they said.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, the Maharashtra government had announced 100 per cent concession to senior citizens over 75 years and a 50 per cent concession to travellers aged between 65 and 74 years on all types of MSRTC buses.

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