UP announces free bus travel for women on Raksha Bandhan for ninth year; scheme runs Aug 8–10
Lucknow 8th August 2025:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced complimentary bus travel for woman on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, marking ninth year since the scheme has been run since 2017. The benefit will apply on all city buses as a part of government festive measures.
Officials said the free-travel window has been extended this year to three days- 6:00 AM on August 8 to midnight on August 10 and would include provisions to carry one accompanying passenger in some services; extra buses will be deployed to meet increased demand. The transport department framed the move as an effort to ease travel for women visiting family during the festival.
The State Government says the initiative have been widely used: more than 1.23 crore women have benefited since 2017, and the transport department has spent around ₹101.42 crore on the programme so far. Past tallies show large turnouts in previous years, for example, nearly 29.29 lakh women in 2023 and close to 19.78 lakh in 2024 – underscoring the scheme’s scale.
The announcement comes as several other states also rolled out free bus rides for woman during Raksha Bandhan, a move government provides as festive gesture to promote accessibility and safety. Critics call such one-day or short-term freebies politically symbolic, while supporters say they materially help women and families celebrate with less burden.
The free-travel scheme highlights the government’s push to make festival travel easier for woman, even as debates continues over its long-term impact public transport finances and service quality.