With free bus travel for 50 lakh on 2 days of Raksha Bandhan UP sets new record

The Raksha Bandhan Free Bus Scheme for women in Uttar Pradesh has set a new record this year with the number of passengers who availed of the concession is expected to hit 75 lakh by midnight on Sunday.

According to the Parivahan Nigam (transport corporation), up to 70 per cent of the total passengers are expected to be availing of the government’s free travel initiative.

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The UP government has given a big gift to the women in the state on the occasion of the Raksha Bandhan by offering free travel in Parivahan Nigam buses from August 8 to 10. This facility is also being provided to a single co-traveller accompanying the woman.

Parivahan Nigam MD Masoom Ali Sarwar said here on Sunday that the buses usually carry 14-15 lakh passengers every day, but in just the first two days of Raksha Bandhan, the numbers surged past 50 lakh. The 66-hour free travel ‘Samman Ka Tohfa’ offered by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during Raksha Bandhan started at 6 am on August 8 and saw heavy passenger crowds.

On August 8, 19.5 lakh passengers availed the free service, while 31.7 lakh passengers travelled on August 9, suggesting a spike of 210% more passengers than normal. By 12:50 pm. On August 10, 13 lakh passengers had already travelled, and by midnight, this number was estimated to reach 25 lakh.

Parivahan Nigam MD Masoom Ali Sarwar also stated that on the chief minister’s instructions, from 6 am on August 8 to midnight on August 10, free travel is expected to be provided to women in all categories of roadways buses. During this period, additional buses were operated as needed, and all contractual buses were also brought into service.

At major bus stations like Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Meerut, Bareilly, Lucknow, Saharanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Kanpur, and Etawah, special duty staff were deployed due to the large number of passengers. He also said that an incentive scheme for drivers and conductors has been implemented, under which Rs 1,200 will be paid for completing 1,800 kilometers of operation, and an additional Rs 0.55 per kilometer will be given for working continuously for six days.

The technical staff present on all three days will also be given a lump sum incentive of Rs 500. Staff and supervisors who maintain good operational arrangements will be honoured with Rs 5,000 per station.