Andhra Pradesh's free bus ride for women hits 12L mark
Andhra Pradesh just rolled out its 'Stree Shakti' scheme, and it's already made a splash—over 12 lakh women, girls, and transgender people grabbed free bus rides in the first 30 hours.
Launched by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on August 15, 2025, the program lets girls, women, and transgender persons holding Andhra Pradesh domicile status travel for free on select APSRTC busses with valid ID.
₹1,942 crore budgeted for the initiative
The state plans to spend ₹1,942 crore a year on this initiative, but riders have already saved around ₹5 crore on day one alone.
Authorities are looking to expand routes based on feedback (including possibly adding ghat roads), and expect even bigger weekday crowds—especially from working women.
Just show your Aadhaar or other official ID to hop aboard for free.