Raksha Bandhan Rush: How UP’s Free Bus Scheme Helped 80 Lakh Women and Companions

Uttar Pradesh witnessed an extraordinary Raksha Bandhan travel rush as the Yogi Adityanath government’s free bus travel facility enabled lakhs of women and their accompanying passengers to travel across the state without paying fares. The scheme, operated through the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC), ran from 6 am on August 27 until midnight on August 29.

The biggest surge came on Raksha Bandhan, August 28, when 49.96 lakh free tickets were issued, benefiting more than 32.47 lakh women and 17.48 lakh accompanying passengers. This was a dramatic jump from August 27, when over 9.26 lakh passengers used the facility, including 6.03 lakh women and 3.22 lakh companions.

Across the first two days, August 27 and 28, UPSRTC issued more than 59.23 lakh zero-fare tickets, covering over 38.51 lakh women and 20.71 lakh accompanying passengers. By 5 pm on August 29, the total number of beneficiaries had climbed to around 80 lakh, with the final count expected to rise further before the facility ended at midnight.

The unprecedented rush tested the state transport network. UPSRTC General Manager (Operations) Anil Kumar said the corporation made extensive preparations in advance. It operated the maximum possible number of buses, deployed additional staff at major bus stations and introduced special monitoring arrangements to protect passenger convenience. Officers and employees were also positioned to manage crowds, keep bus services running smoothly and provide timely information to travellers.

The Raksha Bandhan arrangement was designed to reduce the financial burden of festival travel and help sisters reach their brothers to tie rakhi. Allowing one accompanying passenger to travel free also widened the benefit for families travelling together.

The initiative coincided with the extension of free travel to women aged 60 years and above under the Lokmata Ahilyabai Matrushakti Yojana. Eligible senior women began receiving zero-fare tickets on UPSRTC buses from August 28 and were included among the 32.47 lakh women who travelled free that day.

Together, the festival concession and the senior women’s scheme highlighted how public transport support can improve affordability and mobility. For UPSRTC, however, the record turnout demonstrated the scale of planning required when a welfare measure triggers a festival-driven passenger surge. The response focused on increasing capacity and staffing rather than restricting access, ensuring that the demand could be handled while the free-travel benefit remained available throughout the notified period.