On Gandhi Jayanti, CM Vijay launched Vettri Payanam at Koyambedu, Chennai, issuing free tickets to women on the 76B bus. 12,692 buses, ~84 lakh women a day, no income or trip limits.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay launched the Vettri Payanam (“Victory Journey”) scheme at the Koyambedu bus stand in Chennai on Friday, October 2, 2026 — Gandhi Jayanti — extending free bus travel for women, girls and transgender persons to Express, LSS, Deluxe, mofussil and long-distance ghat buses across Tamil Nadu. He boarded a bus and handed the first free tickets to women passengers himself.
The Chief Minister arrived at the Koyambedu bus stand at about 10 AM. After formally launching the scheme, he climbed aboard the Chennai–Kanchipuram route 76B bus, which had been kept ready for the occasion, and — standing in for the conductor — used the electronic ticketing machine (ETM) to issue free tickets to the women on board, going from seat to seat (ETV Bharat, Kumudam, Tamil Janam).
The passengers responded warmly: women handed the Chief Minister chocolates, and some performed suthi podudhal, the traditional gesture of warding off the evil eye, to show their happiness. After the launch, the Chief Minister left for Madurantakam for his by-election road show.
| Bus type | Before | From 2 October |
|---|---|---|
| City ordinary buses | Free | Free |
| Express, LSS and Deluxe buses in cities and towns | Paid | Free |
| Mofussil (suburban) ordinary buses | Paid | Free |
| Ghat ordinary buses | Free up to 40 km | Free beyond 40 km too |
There is no income limit and no cap on the number of trips, and transgender persons can also travel free under the scheme (Kumudam, Tamil Janam).
After the launch, the Transport Minister announced that the benefit would also cover all differently-abled persons, according to UNI.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Buses brought under the scheme | 12,692 of 18,413 scheduled buses (69%) |
| Daily single trips covered | 1,65,312 of 1,94,649 (85%) |
| Women expected to benefit | About 84.32 lakh a day |
| Estimated cost to the government | About ₹6,000 crore a year (Kumudam) |
The bus and trip figures are from the government’s release; some reports give slightly different totals (12,695 buses).
Free bus travel for women on city ordinary buses has been in place since earlier years. The TVK government issued its order on women’s free travel on its first day in office, and the Chief Minister announced the expansion under the Vettri Payanam name under Rule 110 in the Assembly on August 24, 2026, in line with TVK’s election promise. Ticketing machines were integrated and tested on September 25, with a trial run on September 27. In Chengalpattu and Tiruppur districts, where the Model Code of Conduct is in force for the by-elections, the expanded scheme begins after the election process ends on October 11.
Sources: ETV Bharat, Kumudam, Tamil Janam, Puthiya Thalaimurai, Maalaimalar, TV9 Tamil.
Vettri Payanam Welfare Day 145