The Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVMC) announced on Friday that women passengers will receive a 50% discount on bus fares starting from June 1. The move comes after Vasai MLA Sneha Dubey Pandit raised the issue with officials and ministers, urging for fare concessions for women in VVMC-operated buses.
VVMC Commissioner Anil Kumar Pawar said, “Several other public transport services are already offering fare discounts to women. In line with the state government’s policy to provide such concessions, we have decided to implement a 50% fare discount for women passengers on our buses from June 1. All necessary administrative guidelines have been issued to ensure the smooth implementation of this initiative.”
VVMC currently operates a fleet of 130 buses, out of which 90 are managed by private contractors and the remaining 40 are directly operated by the municipal corporation. These buses run across 37 key routes in the Vasai-Virar region, which includes areas like Vasai, Virar, and Nalasopara within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
A Big Relief for Women
The fare concession is being hailed as a significant step toward women’s empowerment. Thousands of women in the region, who rely on public transport daily for work, education, and other essential needs, are expected to benefit from this move.
This initiative not only offers financial relief but is also expected to make commuting safer and more accessible for women. The decision has been welcomed by local residents and social organizations, who have called for its effective implementation to ensure that all eligible women can benefit from the scheme without any hurdles.
Meanwhile, in Mira-Bhayandar, demands are growing for a similar 50% fare concession for women in public transport. Local citizens and social groups have appealed for the implementation of such a scheme, following the model of Vasai-Virar. Over one lakh people use the Mira-Bhayandar bus services daily, with a significant number of them being women.
