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Women who commute by bus daily in Delhi are set to face a major setback. The Delhi government has decided to discontinue the existing 'Pink Ticket' scheme for free bus travel for women. It will be replaced by the 'Pink Smart Saheli Card.' Under this new system, free bus travel will be available only to women who possess this smart card. Crucially, an Aadhaar card with a Delhi address has been made mandatory to obtain the card. This decision is likely to affect thousands of women—including students and working professionals—who live or work in Delhi but hold Aadhaar cards with addresses from other states.

**Increased difficulties for students from other states**

Female students from across the country come to study at institutions like Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), IP University, and others. A large number of them hail from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the Northeastern states. Until now, these students have been availing the benefit of free travel on DTC and cluster buses using the Pink Ticket. However, with the new rules, they will be denied this facility if they do not possess an Aadhaar card with a Delhi address, potentially leading to an increase in their monthly expenses.

**Impact on working women from the NCR**

Thousands of women commute daily to Delhi from Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and surrounding areas for work or other purposes. With the 'Pink Smart Saheli Card' becoming mandatory, these women may have to pay bus fares since their Aadhaar cards do not list a Delhi address, which could also result in higher expenses for them.

**Students demand a change in rules**

Many students argue that they reside in Delhi only temporarily for their studies. Consequently, changing the permanent address on their Aadhaar cards solely to avail free bus travel is neither an easy nor a practical option for them. They have urged the government to accept documents such as college ID cards, hostel allotment letters, bona fide certificates, or rent agreements as proof of eligibility.

**What is the solution?** According to senior DTC officials, the eligibility criteria for the 'Pink Smart Saheli' card have been determined by the Delhi government. Currently, an Aadhaar card with a Delhi address is mandatory. If a female student or woman updates her Aadhaar address to a Delhi location, she will be considered eligible for the scheme. While the objective of the new system is to create a digital record of beneficiaries, it could pose new challenges for a large number of women and female students from other states.

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