Hyderabad: Nearly 31% more women have been using Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) buses for commuting in Hyderabad since the Mahalakshmi scheme was introduced by the Congress government, a recent survey by the Helping Hand Foundation, a city-based NGO, revealed.
The percentage of women using TSRTC buses for their daily commute surged from 52% to 81% after the launch of the scheme. The survey saw participation of 3,530 women across various health institutions in the city, indicating that nearly half of the increase in bus travel was for medical purposes, including outpatient consultations and antenatal care.
“Outpatient footfall in Government Hospitals, Area Hospitals, and Primary Health Centres increased by 10 to 15%. Of these, 71% of women travelled for OPD consultation, over 18% for Antenatal Care, and 11% for other reasons,” the survey report reads.
This apart, the scheme has proven to be financially beneficial. About 35% of the surveyed women reported saving over Rs 1,000 per visit due to the free transportation and healthcare services, and another 52% saved between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per visit, suggests the survey.
The study also asked 3,530 women about their concerns and found that their major issue was the frequency of buses. They wish for a reduction in waiting time.
Meanwhile, as many as 6.50 crore women in the state have travelled for free in the run buses since the inception of the Mahalakshmi scheme, the TSRTC informed on Wednesday.
