“Seeing the name of our Indira Mahila Shakti Mandal Samakhya on the bus gives us a sense of ownership and honour.” P. Padma President, Mandal Samakhya, Eturunagaram, Mulugu

Women in the driver’s seat

■ Phase-1: 151 buses allocated across 17 districts

■ Phase-II: 449 buses to be added

■ Women Self Help groups (SHGs) contribute Rs 6 lakh

■ Govt provides subsidised loans

■ TGSRTC provides monthly rentals of Rs 69,648 per bus

■ Over Rs 5 crore in rentals disbursed

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Rural women seem to be in the driver’s seat. Riding high on the success of the first phase under which 151 buses across 17 districts were allotted and changes the lives of women, the Telangana Government on Tuesday released 449 more buses in the second phase turning former passengers into stakeholders while boosting rural connectivity and replacing private hires with community-owned fleets.

The first phase was launched on International Women’s Day (March 8) under the Indira Mahila Shakti Scheme. In the first phase, each bus, costing ₹36 lakh, and SHGs contributed ₹6 lakh from their funds, with ₹30 lakh provided as subsidised Community Investment Fund loan. TGSRTC pays a guaranteed monthly rental of ₹69,648 per bus – ₹50,000 towards loan repayment and ₹19,648 for operations – ensuring risk-free income for seven years. Over ₹5 crore in rentals has already been disbursed.

Building on the Maha Lakshmi free bus travel scheme that surged ridership, women-owned buses are now expanding services in rural areas. SHG leaders express immense pride: “Beyond free travel for women, being made owners of these buses is a matter of immense pride. Seeing the name of our Indira Mahila Shakti Mandal Samakhya on the bus gives us a sense of ownership and honour,” said P. Padma, President, Mandal Samakhya, Eturunagaram, Mulugu District.

“Through this bus we are now earning ₹69,000 per month, which has strengthened our federation financially... Earlier we struggled even to board a bus – today we are bus owners,” added M. Bhagya Lakshmi, President, Venkatapur Mandal Samakhya. Telangana's innovative approach is inspiring nationwide attention for its triple impact: economic security for rural women, dignified ownership, and stronger public transport infrastructure.