Mahalakshmi Scheme Sees 97.20 Lakh Rise in Women Bus Passengers Across Telangana
The Telangana government’s Mahalakshmi free bus travel scheme for women recorded an increase of 97.20 lakh passengers between July and September 2026 compared to the corresponding period last year, prompting the state transport corporation to expand bus services across several regional routes.
According to official data released by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC), 3,467.91 lakh (34.67 crore) women passengers travelled under the free transport scheme during the three-month period in 2025. Ridership grew to 3,565.11 lakh (35.65 crore) during July, August, and September 2026, marking an increase of 97.20 lakh women passengers.
In response to the growing footfall, TGSRTC officials said the corporation has deployed additional buses and scheduled extra trips on corridors experiencing heavy passenger loads. Corporation authorities have focused the increased frequencies primarily on inter-district stretches and major arterial travel routes across Telangana.
The inter-district routes that have received additional bus services include Khammam–Illandu, Illandu–Kothagudem, Khammam–Madhira, Suryapet–Khammam, Huzurabad–Karimnagar, Karimnagar–Godavarikhani, Hanamkonda–Karimnagar, Sangareddy–Hanamkonda, and Hanamkonda–Thorrur. Services have also been reinforced on the Nalgonda–Devarakonda, Nalgonda–Suryapet, Devarakonda–Miryalaguda, and Achampet–Devarakonda routes.
To handle inter-city transit linking district centres with Hyderabad, the corporation introduced extra trips on the Siddipet–JBS corridor, as well as the Nagarkurnool–Hyderabad and Kosgi–Hyderabad routes. Bus services were also increased on routes across northern and southern Telangana, including the Banswada–Nizamabad route.
TGSRTC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Y Nagi Reddy stated that the public transport corporation is continuously tracking passenger numbers across the network. He noted that depot managers and field-level transport officials are monitoring passenger demand on the ground to manage vehicle deployments effectively.
