What is the Vettri Payanam Thittam launched by Tamil Nadu CM Vijay? Explained

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Women ride a ‘zero-ticket’ bus after the launch of the Vettri Payanam Thittam by CM Vijay in Chennai on Friday | Photo Credit: R. Ragu

The story so far: On Friday (October 2, 2026), coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay launched the Vettri Payanam scheme in Chennai as part of a Statewide roll out of a policy to allow “no-fare” travel for women on all public bus services operated by transport corporations, subject to certain conditions. Women across Tamil Nadu, except in Chengalpattu and Tiruppur districts (due to bypolls in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies), will be able to utilise these services, effective from Friday.

It is an expansion of the five-year-old Magalir Vidiyal Payanam scheme empowering women to undertake trips in more bus services. Under the expanded scheme, women will be allowed to undertake “no-fare” travel on board Ordinary, Express, LSS (Limited Stop Service), and Deluxe bus services in cities and towns; Ordinary services in mofussil areas; and Ordinary services in Ghat sections beyond 40 km. In all, 12,695 (about 69%) of the 18,413 buses operated by the seven State transport corporations will be covered. An estimated 84.32 lakh women are expected to benefit daily with an estimated trips of 1,68,500 singles per day. The expanded scheme is expected to cost the State government approximately ₹6,000 crore a year.

Tamil Nadu CM Vijay at the launch of the Vettri Payanam Thittam in Chennai on Friday | Photo Credit: R. Ragu

The “zero ticket” bus travel scheme was launched in May 2021, shortly after M.K. Stalin assumed office as Chief Minister. It was among the five orders issued by Mr. Stalin after taking charge as Chief Minister on May 7, 2021. This was also a part of the DMK’s Assembly poll promises in 2021.

Under the scheme, women were able to travel with “zero tickets” on ordinary buses operated in cities and municipal areas, and on ordinary buses in hill areas for distances of up to 40 km. The benefit was subsequently extended to transgender persons and persons with disabilities. The scheme was later named Magalir Vidiyal Payanam.

In the run-up to the 2026 Assembly election, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by Mr. Vijay, promised to allow women to travel free of cost on government buses across Tamil Nadu, enabling them to commute between districts and regions without having to bear the cost of the bus journey. After assuming office, the TVK-led government renamed the Magalir Vidiyal Payanam as Magalir Payanam.

During the recent Budget session, Mr. Vijay announced in a suo motu statement in the Legislative Assembly that the scheme would be expanded. It was rebranded as Vettri Payanam Thittam. The rolled out scheme is a partial fulfilment of the TVK’s poll promise, as women will have to purchase tickets for long-distance bus travel, say from Chennai to Madurai.

A year after its launch, the State Planning Commission conducted a field-level study in 2022 to assess the scheme’s impact. The study, titled ‘A Report on the Zero Ticket Bus Travel Scheme for Women in State-Owned Bus Transport Corporations’, found that women passengers saved between ₹756 and ₹1,012 a month, depending on their occupation, including agriculture, industry, and trade.

In Chennai, women passengers made around 50 trips a month under the scheme and saved up to ₹858 a month on average. The study also found that the savings increased women’s disposable income and helped more women take up employment.

As of March 1, 2026, nearly 897.82 crore zero ticket bus trips had been made on 7,712 buses since the scheme was launched. The number of trips increased each year from 95.86 crore in 2021-22 to 166.53 crore in 2022-23, 186.35 crore in 2023-24, 213.94 crore in 2024-25, and 235.14 crore in 2025-26.

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