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What India can learn from Dunkirk free bus experiment–Plan, design, invest

Free bus services should help shift commuters away from private vehicles, strengthen public transport systems, and improve urban livability.

Among the inclusionary initiatives adopted by some Indian states is the provision of free or subsidised bus transport. For example, Delhi launched the ‘Pink Ticket’ scheme to extend the facility of unrestricted bus rides for women. Cities in Tamil Nadu offer a zero-fare bus travel scheme, allowing women to travel on government buses without charge. The Karnataka government has named a similar scheme ‘Shakti’. Maharashtra, on the other hand, provides subsidised bus travel for women at 50 percent of the normal fare under the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’. Telangana’s ‘Maha Laxmi Scheme’ offers free bus rides to both women and marginalised groups. In Andhra Pradesh, women can travel within their districts without charge. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) in Mumbai, also provide bus concessions.

Even before free bus rides were introduced in India, several countries and cities had adopted similar initiatives. Luxembourg, a small but affluent European country, pioneered free public transport across all modes in February 2020, except for first-class train travel, followed by Malta in October 2022. Earlier, Hasselt (Belgium) abolished fares in 1997, and Tallinn (Estonia) in 2013. More recently, Kharkiv (Ukraine) adopted a similar policy in 2022, and Belgrade followed in 2025.

While Hasselt and Tallinn are smaller cities, Kharkiv and Belgrade are large metropolitan centres with populations exceeding one million. Notably, in India, decisions on free or subsidised transport have been taken by state governments, whereas in Europe, such initiatives have largely been led by city governments. This distinction reflects a broader structural difference: European cities enjoy greater autonomy, while in India, local transportation is not included in the 12th Schedule of the Constitution, which outlines municipal functions.

Also read: Rise and fall of India’s BRTS. ‘World-class’ solution that made problems worse

Another city was added to the........

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