# Op-ed: Free bus travel raised women's mobility in four States, Time Use Survey data show

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-26/free-bus-women-mobility-tus-data/
Date: 26 October 2026 (2026-10-26)
Source: The Hindu, Page 7
UPSC papers: GS1, GS2
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** Time Use Survey data show that free bus travel lifted women's everyday mobility in four States, mainly for care and social trips, but did not by itself speed up women's entry into paid work.

An analysis on The Hindu's opinion page on 26 October 2026 uses the National Statistics Office's (NSO) two Time Use Surveys (TUS), of 2019 and 2024, to ask what free bus travel for women has changed. Four large States, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana, introduced free bus rides for women between 2021 and 2024. In these States, the share of women aged 15 to 59 who made at least one trip on the survey day rose from 38.7% in 2019 to 45.3% in 2024, a rise of 6.6 percentage points. Men in the same States gained only 3.7 points. In the other large States the pattern was reversed: women's travel rose 4.4 points, from 23.9% to 28.3%, while men's rose 7.6 points.

The analysis finds that the extra trips were mostly not to jobs. The share of women doing paid work on the survey day rose from 30.5% to 34.4% in the free-bus States, but from 18.4% to 22.9% in the others, a slightly larger gain. Women's travel rose most during late morning and afternoon, outside office hours, and trips for care work, such as dropping children at school or taking relatives to hospital, rose the most. Telangana's Mahalakshmi scheme began in December 2023. Andhra Pradesh's scheme came after the 2024 survey and will be a test case for the next round.

The data matter because the debate on free bus travel is usually framed as either a 'freebie' or a jobs scheme. The TUS evidence suggests a third reading: free fares widen women's everyday freedom of movement, for care, social and civic life, even if they do not by themselves raise employment. The TUS itself, conducted from January to December 2024, covered 4,54,192 persons aged six and above in 1,39,487 households, and found that women aged 15 to 59 still spend about 305 minutes a day on unpaid domestic services. Critics of free travel point to its cost for loss-making State transport undertakings and to overcrowding; supporters cite Article 15(3), which permits special provisions for women, and the right to move freely under Article 19(1)(d).

## Prelims facts

- Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana introduced free bus travel for women between 2021 and 2024.
- In these States, women aged 15 to 59 making at least one trip rose from 38.7% (2019) to 45.3% (2024); men's share rose only 3.7 points.
- Women's paid work rose from 30.5% to 34.4% in free-bus States but from 18.4% to 22.9% elsewhere, so free travel did not by itself speed up employment.
- The NSO's Time Use Survey has had two all-India rounds, 2019 and 2024; the 2024 round covered 4,54,192 persons.
- Women aged 15 to 59 spent about 305 minutes a day on unpaid domestic services in 2024, down from about 315 in 2019.

## Quick recall

- **Which four States in the analysis had free bus travel for women by 2024?** Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana.
- **Share of women (15 to 59) making at least one trip in free-bus States, 2019 and 2024?** 38.7% and 45.3%.
- **How much did men's trip-making rise in the free-bus States?** 3.7 percentage points.
- **Women's paid work in free-bus States, 2019 and 2024?** 30.5% and 34.4%.
- **Telangana's free bus scheme for women and its launch?** Mahalakshmi, December 2023.
- **How many persons did TUS 2024 cover?** 4,54,192 persons aged six and above, in 1,39,487 households.
- **Minutes a day women aged 15 to 59 spent on unpaid domestic services in 2024?** About 305 minutes, down from about 315 in 2019.
- **Which Article permits special provisions for women?** Article 15(3).

## Prelims practice question

With reference to the Time Use Survey (TUS) in India, consider the following statements:
1. It is conducted by the National Statistics Office.
2. The first all-India TUS was conducted in 2019.
3. It records time use only of persons aged 15 years and above.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only. Statements 1 and 2 are correct: the NSO, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, ran the first all-India TUS in 2019 and the second in 2024. Statement 3 is incorrect: the TUS collects information from all members aged six years and above in the selected households.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2019, GS1: What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space? (https://upsc.help/pyq/q227-continued-challenges-women-india-against-time-space/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use TUS data to show that space (mobility) and time (care burden) constrain women, and that removing fares eases mobility but not care or jobs.
- UPSC Mains 2024, GS1: Distinguish between gender equality, gender equity and women's empowerment. Why is it important to take gender concerns into account in programme design and implementation? (https://upsc.help/pyq/q226-distinguish-between-gender-equality-gender-equity-women/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Cite free bus travel as a programme whose gendered design improved women's mobility, while showing why design must also address care and jobs.
- UPSC Mains 2013, GS1: Discuss the various social problems that originated out of the speedy process of urbanization in India. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q319-various-social-problems-originated-out-speedy-process/)

## Mains practice question

Free bus travel for women is often debated as a 'freebie'. Using evidence on women's mobility, examine whether such schemes advance gender equity, and what they cannot achieve on their own. (250 words)

### Model answer

Four States, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana, introduced free bus travel for women between 2021 and 2024. NSO Time Use Survey (TUS) data for 2019 and 2024 allow a test of their effect.

## What the evidence shows
- Women aged 15 to 59 making at least one trip rose from 38.7% to 45.3% in these States, against a 3.7 point rise for men.
- In other large States women's travel rose only 4.4 points while men's rose 7.6.
- Extra trips were mostly for care, such as school drops and hospital visits, and in non-office hours.

## How this advances gender equity
- Expands freedom of movement (Article 19(1)(d)) for those who face the highest cost barriers.
- Eases the time and money burden of unpaid care, on which women spent about 305 minutes a day in 2024.
- Article 15(3) permits such special provisions.

## What it cannot do alone
- Paid work rose from 30.5% to 34.4% in free-bus States but 18.4% to 22.9% elsewhere: mobility is not employment.
- Fiscal stress on State transport undertakings, overcrowding and route cuts can erode service.

## Way forward
- Pair free fares with more buses, safe last-mile links and street lighting.
- Combine with childcare, skilling and local job creation.
- Timely reimbursement to transport undertakings; evaluate with TUS and PLFS data.

Free travel is best seen as an enabler of women's autonomy, which needs jobs and care policy to become empowerment.

## The basics

## Why this matters
Women's low and stagnant participation in paid work is one of India's long-running development puzzles. Mobility is part of the answer: a woman who cannot afford or safely make a trip cannot reach a job, a college or a hospital. Several States now offer free bus travel to women. New evidence from the Time Use Survey lets us see what it has changed, and what it has not.

## What the Time Use Survey measures
Most surveys ask whether a person worked. The TUS asks how each person aged six and above spent every part of a 24-hour day. That makes it the best data source on travel, Unpaid care work and paid work together.

## Mobility is not the same as employment
If free travel mainly helped women reach jobs, paid work should have risen faster in the free-bus States. It did not.

Instead, extra trips came in late morning and afternoon and were linked to care: school drops, hospital visits, errands. This fits the wider pattern of Female labour force participation, where jobs, childcare and social norms matter as much as transport.

## The policy debate

The takeaway for an answer: judge Free bus travel schemes by what they are good at, autonomy and access, and pair them with policies that turn mobility into livelihoods.

## Sources

- https://superkalam.com/current-affairs/26-10-2026/free-bus-travel-has-given-women-more-mobility-pg7-fb4a0f70-5d93-4cd3-8014-d36a5c97814b
- https://anantamias.com/current-affairs/free-bus-travel-has-given-women-more-mobility/
- https://mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/press_release/PR_TUS_25022025.pdf