The expanded scheme covers ordinary, Express, Limited Stop Services (LSS), Deluxe and eligible Mofussil buses, including services operating in urban, inter-district and hilly areas. The government has stated that there will be no income ceiling or limit on the number of journeys under the scheme.
The expansion is expected to bring around 4,641 additional buses into the programme and benefit approximately 25 lakh additional women. Reports on the October 2 rollout say the wider network will cover thousands of state-run buses across Tamil Nadu.
The government estimates that implementing the expanded scheme will involve an annual expenditure of around ₹6,000 crore. Transgender persons are also included among the beneficiaries.
The scheme builds on Tamil Nadu’s existing free bus travel programme for women, which began in 2021 and was initially limited primarily to ordinary city and town buses
