India Today: New Delhi: Wednesday, 2nd
September 2026.
The RTI response puts the estimated average number of women passengers travelling daily in DTC buses that month at 6.85 lakh, while the total number of free rides recorded during July stood at 212.23 lakh.
Delhi’s women commuters
availed 8.25 crore free bus rides between April and July 2026, underlining the
sheer scale of the city’s women-only free travel benefit as the Delhi
government prepares to shift the scheme from paper tickets to a digital
smart-card system.
According to data provided by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, women made 8.25 crore, free journeys during the four-month period. The numbers offer a glimpse into how deeply the free bus travel scheme has become woven into the daily commute of women across the capital.
The monthly figures remained consistently high. Women availed 211.45 lakh free rides in April, 202.80 lakh in May, 199.12 lakh in June and 212.23 lakh in July. July saw the highest number of free journeys, at more than 2.12 crore, closely followed by April at over 2.11 crore.
The July figures also show the scale of daily usage. The RTI response puts the estimated average number of women passengers travelling daily in DTC buses that month at 6.85 lakh, while the total number of free rides recorded during July stood at 212.23 lakh.
The massive usage comes at a significant transition point for Delhi’s flagship women’s bus travel scheme. The government is replacing the familiar paper Pink Tickets with the Pink Saheli Smart Card, an NCMC-based digital card for eligible women residents of Delhi.
The new system was expected to become mandatory from August 31. However, the Delhi government has now extended the existing Pink Ticket facility until September 17, allowing women to continue availing free travel while the transition to the smart-card system takes place.
Transport Minister Pankaj Singh announced the extension on Monday. The move means women commuters will get additional time to shift from paper tickets to the new digital system.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had launched the Pink Saheli scheme as the government’s next phase of the women’s free bus travel programme. The digital system is aimed at making the scheme more transparent, efficient and trackable, while replacing the manual distribution of paper tickets inside buses.
The RTI response puts the estimated average number of women passengers travelling daily in DTC buses that month at 6.85 lakh, while the total number of free rides recorded during July stood at 212.23 lakh.
 |
July saw the highest
number of free journeys, at more than 2.12 crore, closely followed by April at
over 2.11 crore. (Representative image) |
According to data provided by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, women made 8.25 crore, free journeys during the four-month period. The numbers offer a glimpse into how deeply the free bus travel scheme has become woven into the daily commute of women across the capital.
The monthly figures remained consistently high. Women availed 211.45 lakh free rides in April, 202.80 lakh in May, 199.12 lakh in June and 212.23 lakh in July. July saw the highest number of free journeys, at more than 2.12 crore, closely followed by April at over 2.11 crore.
The July figures also show the scale of daily usage. The RTI response puts the estimated average number of women passengers travelling daily in DTC buses that month at 6.85 lakh, while the total number of free rides recorded during July stood at 212.23 lakh.
The massive usage comes at a significant transition point for Delhi’s flagship women’s bus travel scheme. The government is replacing the familiar paper Pink Tickets with the Pink Saheli Smart Card, an NCMC-based digital card for eligible women residents of Delhi.
The new system was expected to become mandatory from August 31. However, the Delhi government has now extended the existing Pink Ticket facility until September 17, allowing women to continue availing free travel while the transition to the smart-card system takes place.
Transport Minister Pankaj Singh announced the extension on Monday. The move means women commuters will get additional time to shift from paper tickets to the new digital system.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had launched the Pink Saheli scheme as the government’s next phase of the women’s free bus travel programme. The digital system is aimed at making the scheme more transparent, efficient and trackable, while replacing the manual distribution of paper tickets inside buses.
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