The announcement to make metro rides free for women has sparked new rows of implications, impacts on finance and most importantly, women’s mobility. Free transportation for women is directly linked with increased access to education, work and public spaces. Public transport is one of the most important modes of transport, especially in cities and metropolises, and a large chunk of India’s population travels to cities for education and jobs via public transport. Now, although a large number of people travel by metro, there are an equal number of people who cannot access the metro, which might be due to rising fares or safety issues. The free metro services come with their impacts on the society and country as a whole.
Benefits of free metro rides
Women in the country still face inequality, and family restrictions and might not have money with them all the time for travelling. The financial control leaves them with meagre amounts which can only be used for affording the cheapest modes of transport. These cost barriers will be removed, increasing women’s access to transport, which in turn increases access to work and education sectors. It will enable women from rural areas to reach urban areas for their needs and encourage women to take part in public sectors.
Cons of free metro services
Although the scheme enables and boosts mobility for women, it fails to target the right population since women of the upper social status who have the capacity to pay don’t need to be a part of the scheme. With this put into effect, the country will have to face crores of loss on an annual basis leading to large-scale misuse of free travelling. Moreover, with free metro, there’ll be a rise in the prices of transport connectivity from residences to the metro which will ultimately obstruct women’s access to public transport.
A solution can be minimising the costs of transport which can be a step towards addressing issues faced by women in the country.
