Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh recorded a new milestone in free bus travel on Raksha Bandhan, with 89 lakh people availing the facility over three days, including 56 lakh women and 33.65 lakh accompanying passengers.The state govt spent Rs 107 crore to provide free and convenient travel to women, bearing the entire cost of their journey.On Aug 28 alone, over 49.9 lakh women and their accompanying passengers travelled free of cost.According to Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, more than 9.3 lakh women and accompanying passengers availed the benefits on Aug 27.Thereafter, on Raksha Bandhan (Aug 28), over 49.96 lakh free tickets were issued.From Friday, elderly women have also started receiving free bus travel under the ‘Lokmata Ahilyabai Matrushakti Yojana’. Under the scheme, zero-fare tickets were also issued to women aged 60 years or above, providing elderly women economic relief in commuting.
