Many provinces/states in india provide free public transportation especially bus and metro rides for women. Major motivations behind this initiative include : 1)providing women better access to public spaces, Female labour force participation in India has seen a significant increase, rising to 41.7% in 2023–24 from 23.3% in 2017–18 2)to promote education, and employment for women

Major criticism aganist this initiative:- 1)major criticism comes from lower caste dalit men organisation who claim that this actively discriminate millions of lower caste dalit men who earn $510.80 USD annually whereas it benefits Uppercaste women who owns huge amount of wealth via ancestral land and working Uppercaste women earns more annual salary than lower caste men. 2)many critics consider that giving freebies harm the economy negatively

Key State-Wise Initiatives 1)Delhi: Offers year-round free travel for women , recently extended and expanded to include transgender passengers with the “Pink Saheli” card system. 2)Tamil Nadu: The Zero Ticket Bus Travel Scheme permits women to travel free in government-run normal-fare buses (up to 30 km). 3)Karnataka: The Shakti scheme launched on June 11, 2023, provides free transport for women domiciled in the state on KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC buses. 4)Andhra Pradesh: The Stree Shakti Free Bus Travel Scheme promotes women’s empowerment, with significant ridership. 5)Punjab: Provides free travel for women in state-run buses. Special Occasions: Several states like Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh offer free travel on Raksha Bandhan.