Op-ed: Free bus travel raised women's mobility in four States, Time Use Survey data show
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.
Published 26 October 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we 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?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
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.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Women's mobility, time poverty and the design of gender-sensitive public programmes
What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?
How to use thisUse TUS data to show that space (mobility) and time (care burden) constrain women, and that removing fares eases mobility but not care or jobs.
- In free-bus States, women (15 to 59) making a trip rose from 38.7% in 2019 to 45.3% in 2024; men's share rose only 3.7 points.
- Women still spent about 305 minutes a day on unpaid domestic services in 2024 (TUS).
- Paid work rose 30.5% to 34.4% in free-bus States but 18.4% to 22.9% elsewhere: mobility alone is not employment.
- How to use this
Cite free bus travel as a programme whose gendered design improved women's mobility, while showing why design must also address care and jobs.
- Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana introduced free bus travel for women between 2021 and 2024; Article 15(3) permits such provisions.
- Women's extra trips were mostly for care, in non-office hours, so programme design must account for care roles, not only commuting.
Urban transport access is one of the social problems linked to rapid urbanisation that the free bus debate touches.
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.
- 30.5% in 2019
- 34.4% in 2024
- Rise of 3.9 points
- 18.4% in 2019
- 22.9% in 2024
- Rise of 4.5 points
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
- Widens freedom of movement
- Cuts a cost that weighs most on poor women
- Allowed under Article 15(3)
- Strains State transport finances
- Causes overcrowding
- Benefits women who can pay too
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.
Go deeper
Why it matters for UPSC
GS1 asks about the challenges women face 'against time and space' and about gender in programme design. GS2 covers welfare schemes and their performance. This analysis gives hard numbers for both, and a balanced line on the 'freebie' debate.
The core idea
The Time Use Survey records how people spend every hour of a day. Comparing 2019 and 2024 shows that in States with Free bus travel schemes, women's travel grew faster than men's, the reverse of the pattern elsewhere. The extra trips were linked to Unpaid care work, not jobs. That fits what we know about Female labour force participation: transport removes one barrier, but childcare, job availability and norms remain.
Numbers and dates to remember
- Women (15 to 59) making a trip, free-bus States: 38.7% (2019) to 45.3% (2024).
- Other large States: 23.9% to 28.3%.
- Paid work: 30.5% to 34.4% (free-bus States); 18.4% to 22.9% (others).
- Telangana's Mahalakshmi: December 2023.
- TUS 2024: 4,54,192 persons; women spent about 305 minutes a day on unpaid domestic services.
Where to go next
- Time Use Survey: how India measures time.
- Free bus travel schemes: the States, the design and the debate.
- Unpaid care work: the invisible work women do.
- Female labour force participation: why mobility alone does not mean jobs.
Go deeper: freebie, welfare or freedom?
The usual criticism of Free bus travel schemes is fiscal. State transport undertakings already run losses, reimbursements from State governments can be delayed, and crowded buses may push some riders away. Benefits are also untargeted: a well-off woman rides free just like a domestic worker.
The usual defence is economic: free travel will help women reach jobs and raise female labour force participation. The Time Use Survey data do not support the strong version of that claim. Paid work rose by 3.9 points in the free-bus States and by 4.5 points in the other large States.
What the data do support is a different benefit. Women's trips rose most in late morning and afternoon, and trips for care, such as taking children to school or relatives to hospital, rose the most. This connects to Unpaid care work, on which women aged 15 to 59 still spent about 305 minutes a day in 2024. A free ride lowers the cost of that work and widens women's presence in public space.
So the strongest case for these schemes is about autonomy and the constitutional freedom of movement under Article 19(1)(d), with Article 15(3) permitting the special provision. The weakest case is that they are a jobs policy. To raise Female labour force participation, they need to be paired with childcare, safe last-mile transport and local employment. A good answer will say both things, and will use Andhra Pradesh's newer scheme as a future test.
Time Use Survey
How India measures how people spend their day.
In one line: The Time Use Survey (TUS) is an NSO household survey that records how each person aged six and above spends the 24 hours of a day.
How it works
The National Statistics Office, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, conducted the first all-India TUS in 2019 and the second from January to December 2024. The 2024 round covered 1,39,487 households and 4,54,192 persons. Respondents describe their activities over the previous day, which are classified into paid work, unpaid domestic services, caregiving, learning, travel, leisure and so on.
Why it matters
Because it captures unpaid work and travel, the TUS is the main source for measuring women's care burden and mobility. It found that women aged 15 to 59 spent about 305 minutes a day on unpaid domestic services in 2024. The free bus analysis compares the 2019 and 2024 rounds.
Where to go next
Free bus travel schemes
The States, the design and the debate.
In one line: Several States let women travel free on State-run buses, with the government reimbursing the transport undertaking.
Where
Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana introduced free bus travel for women between 2021 and 2024. Telangana's Mahalakshmi scheme began in December 2023. Andhra Pradesh introduced a scheme after the 2024 Time Use Survey, so its effect is not yet in the data.
The constitutional basis
Article 15(1) bars discrimination on grounds of sex, but Article 15(3) allows the State to make special provisions for women and children. A women-only fare waiver is such a provision. It also supports the freedom to move throughout India under Article 19(1)(d).
The debate
Supporters stress access and autonomy; critics stress fiscal cost, crowding and lack of targeting.
Where to go next
Unpaid care work
The work that keeps households running and goes uncounted.
In one line: Unpaid care work is cooking, cleaning, fetching, and looking after children, the elderly and the sick, done without pay and left out of GDP.
Why it matters
Because women do most of it, it limits the time they have for paid work, education and rest. The 2024 Time Use Survey found that women aged 15 to 59 spent about 305 minutes a day on unpaid domestic services, down from about 315 minutes in 2019. Much of this work also involves travel: to schools, clinics and markets.
Why it is in the news
The free bus analysis found that the extra trips women made in free-bus States were concentrated outside office hours and linked to care, such as school drops and hospital visits. Free fares lower the cost of this work even when they do not change employment.
Where to go next
Female labour force participation
Why mobility alone does not translate into jobs.
In one line: Female labour force participation is the share of working-age women who are working or seeking work; in India it has long been low, especially in cities.
What holds it back
Research points to several barriers at once: the burden of unpaid care work, lack of childcare, safety concerns, social norms about women working outside the home, the cost and time of travel, and too few suitable jobs nearby. Removing one barrier, such as bus fares, may not be enough if the others remain.
Why it is in the news
Time Use Survey data show that in the free-bus States, women's paid work rose from 30.5% to 34.4% between 2019 and 2024, while in other large States it rose from 18.4% to 22.9%. Free travel raised mobility but did not by itself speed up employment.
Where to go next
Female labour force participation: every story that connects to it (3)
Take the 26 October 2026 quiz: 30 Prelims-style questions with answers