Women will be able to travel for free in buses in Bengal from June 1, these documents will have to be shown

After winning the assembly elections, the BJP government in West Bengal has launched a scheme to provide free travel facilities for women in all government buses running across the state from June 1, 2026. The objective of this scheme is to strengthen the empowerment of women and improve their access to transportation.

According to the notification issued on May 21, this initiative will be applicable on both short and long distance government bus services of different categories. Women passengers will be given smart cards with QR-code after submitting the application through BDO or SDO office. Their photo and important information will be written on these cards.

Officials said that these smart cards can be issued on the basis of many types of identity cards. These also include Aadhaar card, Voter ID, job card, Ayushman Bharat card, driving license, PAN card, passport, pension related documents, identity cards of government employees and ID cards of educational institutions.

government schemes

The previous Mamata government has launched many big schemes for women, farmers, students and youth in West Bengal in the last few years. Among these, schemes like Kanyashree, Lakshmi Bhandar, Swasthya Sathi, Krishak Bandhu, Sabuj Sathi and Student Credit Card were quite popular. Recently, the new government has started ‘Annapurna Yojana’, under which it has announced to provide financial assistance of Rs 3,000 every month to women. Apart from this, schemes like free bus travel for women, employment assistance for youth and financial help for farmers have also been implemented. The main objective of these schemes of the state government is social security and economic strength.

In which states bus travel is free for women?

• Delhi — Free travel for women in DTC and cluster buses (Pink Ticket Scheme)
• Punjab – Free travel for women in government buses
• Tamil Nadu – Free travel for women in ordinary government buses
• Karnataka – Free bus travel for women under ‘Shakti Yojana’
• Telangana — Free travel in state buses under ‘Mahalakshmi Scheme’
• Kerala – Concession/free facility to women in certain categories
• Maharashtra – Fare concession for women on many routes
• Haryana — Concession for certain special schemes and categories
• West Bengal – Free travel scheme for women in state-run buses implemented from June 1, 2026

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