Free Bus Travel Research Articles

Impact of Tamil Nadu Free Bus Travel Scheme for Women on Workforce Participation and Economic Empowerment

Impact of Tamil Nadu Free Bus Travel Scheme for Women on Workforce Participation and Economic Empowerment

A Study on Satisfaction of Tamil Nadu Government Free Bus Travel for Women in Madurai City

Abstract: In May 2021, the Tamil Nadu government launched a scheme that made public city and town buses (with certain caveats) free for women. While the rides are completely free (with no restrictions on the number of trips per day or month), the scheme is applicable only on ‘white board’ buses. The white board buses are what are known as Ordinary Bus Routes and represent the most inexpensive category of service that halts at all bus stops on a given route. The state government has provided an annual subsidy of Rs.1,200 crore to state transport undertakings to compensate for the fare box loss due to the scheme. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has extolled the scheme as an ‘economic revolution’, enabling women to join the workforce. In the eyes of many though, free transport remains a political gimmick. It’s not unusual to find citizens who question why travel should be free; and why just for women. A free travel scheme though is not unlike free health services or free education. Some services are so closely linked to ‘public good’, that the cost they incur is easily offset by the good that they achieve. Public transport is one of these. In general, women in India struggle to attain financial independence and a promising career. These challenges are multiplied in the case of women from underprivileged communities as they start with little to no education and a higher dependence on men. Much of this is culturally driven. They are also mostly unemployed; and when they do find employment it is within the unorganized sector, earning low wages. In the majority of Indian families, men tend to have access to the household vehicle, while women generally rely on public transport. Considering that the percentage of women undertaking paid work in India is only 21% while the global average is 47%, mobility becomes a life changing factor that could make or break a woman’s access to work opportunities. On the other hand, women who decide to not work outside the house, still rely on public transport to run errands and manage the household. This again incurs a cost.

Does Tamil Nadu’s free bus travel policy impact women’s lives?

Does Tamil Nadu’s free bus travel policy impact women’s lives?

Does The Scheme “Free Bus Policy for Women in Public Transportation” Contributes to The Achievement of The Sustainable Development Goals?

Tamilnadu, one of the states in India is performing better in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by implementing various schemes and programmes. One such scheme “Free bus travel for women in public transportation”, was launched in June 2021 in an effort to reduce the cost of travel and enhance women’s work participation rates. Women's mobility is essential for increased labour force participation, higher wages and salaries. The aim of this scheme is to help women, especially those who earn a living on a daily basis, become economically independent and free from poverty. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyse the impact of the scheme with the various relevant SDGs. It is a descriptive paper that highlights the policy’s various benefits on women, whether it contributes to the achievement of various sustainable development goals such as Goal 1.4 (access to basic services), Goal 4.3 (Equal access to tertiary education), Goal 5.2 (elimination of violence against women in public and private sphere), Goal 8.5 (decent work) & Goal 11.2 (safe public transportation) using both quantitative survey and qualitative interviews which was carried out among 150 women commuters in Sivagangai District. The scheme was shown to have a good effect on women by assisting them in meeting their practical needs, such as gaining access to markets and schools, and by assisting them in strategically empowering themselves by providing access to social and economic possibilities.

Infrastructure, policy and regulatory interventions to increase physical activity to prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes: a systematic review

BackgroundNoncommunicable diseases are major contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Modifying the risk factors for these conditions, such as physical inactivity, is thus essential. Addressing the context or circumstances in which physical activity occurs may promote physical activity at a population level. We assessed the effects of infrastructure, policy or regulatory interventions for increasing physical activity.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase and clinicaltrials.gov to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled before-after (CBAs) studies, and interrupted time series (ITS) studies assessing population-level infrastructure or policy and regulatory interventions to increase physical activity. We were interested in the effects of these interventions on physical activity, body weight and related measures, blood pressure, and CVD and type 2 diabetes morbidity and mortality, and on other secondary outcomes. Screening and data extraction was done in duplicate, with risk of bias was using an adapted Cochrane risk of bias tool. Due to high levels of heterogeneity, we synthesised the evidence based on effect direction.ResultsWe included 33 studies, mostly conducted in high-income countries. Of these, 13 assessed infrastructure changes to green or other spaces to promote physical activity and 18 infrastructure changes to promote active transport. The effects of identified interventions on physical activity, body weight and blood pressure varied across studies (very low certainty evidence); thus, we remain very uncertain about the effects of these interventions. Two studies assessed the effects of policy and regulatory interventions; one provided free access to physical activity facilities and showed that it may have beneficial effects on physical activity (low certainty evidence). The other provided free bus travel for youth, with intervention effects varying across studies (very low certainty evidence).ConclusionsEvidence from 33 studies assessing infrastructure, policy and regulatory interventions for increasing physical activity showed varying results. The certainty of the evidence was mostly very low, due to study designs included and inconsistent findings between studies. Despite this drawback, the evidence indicates that providing access to physical activity facilities may be beneficial; however this finding is based on only one study. Implementation of these interventions requires full consideration of contextual factors, especially in low resource settings.Trial registrationPROSPERO 2018 CRD42018093429.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH FREE BUS TRAVEL SCHEME IN TAMIL NADU: SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VILLUPURAM DISTRICT

This article has mainly focused on the innovative scheme of free bus travel and how it benefited the people and sparked to empower the women in the male centric society. Tamil Nadu is a welfare State which implemented innovative schemes for enhancement of people status gradually. On the consequence, the Government of Tamil Nadu has announced the scheme for women welfare and empowerment named “Free Bus Travel Scheme” which has given the free travel to all women in Tamil Nadu. The intention of the scheme was announced by the Government of Tamil Nadu to increase the mobility of women. This scheme has increased the women’s mobility and their savings. Tamil Nadu, being a role model for implementing the innovative free schemes for entire India. All the state has attributed the concept for their convenience and applied the different phenomenon. Earlier, Tamil Nadu Government has given the doles and freebies to the people, especially those have in the poverty line. Some of the electronic goods also provided to enhance the economic and educational enhancement. Now the tern has changed beyond the stereo type of schemes and programs. Conceptually, the Government has announced the free travel for all women might be stupendous character which directly or indirectly enhance the women status and empower the women in this society. Keywords: Women Empowerment, Innovative schemes, free bus travel, economical enhancement.

Healthy ageing for a healthy planet: do sustainable solutions exist?

Healthy ageing for a healthy planet: do sustainable solutions exist?

Social isolation and physical activity mediate associations between free bus travel and wellbeing among older adults in England

BackgroundAims of this study were: (i) to examine relationships between free bus travel and wellbeing, and (ii) to assess the extent to which these associations can be explained by two key potential mediators: social isolation and physical activity. MethodsData were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n = 5861). Linear regression models tested associations between (i) concessionary bus pass (CBP) ownership and (ii) frequency of CBP use and three measures of wellbeing (quality of life, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms), adjusting for age, sex, marital status, socioeconomic status and limiting long-standing illness. Mediation analyses tested the role of (i) social isolation and (ii) physical activity in each association between CBP ownership/use and wellbeing. ResultsOwnership and use of a CBP was significantly associated with better quality of life (both p < 0.001), higher life satisfaction (both p < 0.01) and fewer depressive symptoms (both p < 0.01). Mediation models revealed significant indirect associations of CBP ownership (all p < 0.001) and use (all p < 0.05) via social isolation on wellbeing. There were also significant indirect associations of CBP ownership (all p < 0.01) and use (all p < 0.001) via physical activity on wellbeing. Social isolation explained 7.7–20.1% of the total association between free bus travel and wellbeing, and physical activity explained 9.0–17.4%. ConclusionsOwnership and use of a CBP are associated with better quality of life, higher life satisfaction, and fewer depressive symptoms in older adults in England. Associations between free bus travel and wellbeing are partly explained by an increase in physical activity and a reduction in social isolation.

Ethnic group differences in impacts of free bus passes in England: A national study

BackgroundA pass permitting free bus travel for older people (aged ≥60 years) in England was introduced in 2006. There has been no examination of whether this scheme has differential effects across ethnic groups. We examined whether Black and South Asian participants were more likely to hold a bus pass and have higher associated levels of active travel than White participants. MethodsData come from the National Travel Survey, a nationally representative sample of the travel patterns of households in England. Using cross-sectional data from 33,344 participants eligible for a bus pass 2006–2014, we investigated ethnic differences in bus pass uptake and associations with bus use, active travel and walking ≥3 times per week. ResultsBlack participants were more likely to hold a bus pass (84%) than South Asian or White participants (74% and 75% respectively). Black participants accumulated 56% of their active travel as part of bus journeys, compared with 29% in White and 44% in South Asian participants. Bus pass possession was associated with increased odds of bus-related active travel in all ethnic groups. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the free bus pass scheme in England is associated with higher levels of active travel and that these may be greater among minority ethnic groups. Removing financial barriers to active travel could produce important health benefits particularly among ethnic minority groups, who have low levels of leisure-based physical activity.

Take up and use of subsidised public transport: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Abstract Background Since 2006 England has had a bus pass scheme which provides free bus travel for older people. The scheme is universal but there are questions over whether take up is equitable. Methods Data come from waves 6 and 7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing collected in 2012 and 2014. Logistic regression assessed factors associated with take up of a free bus pass by 2014 among eligible people without a pass in 2012, and associations of this with public transport use in 2014. Results Of those eligible for a free bus pass in 2012, 16.1% did not have one. 18.8% of these people had taken up a bus pass by 2014. Take up was equitable according to wealth and other individual characteristics but was more common among people retiring from paid work (AOR 2.33, p = 0.025), and moving house (AOR 2.76, p = 0.014). People who took up a free bus pass were more likely to use public transport in 2014 (AOR 3.23, p Discussion Take up of the free bus pass is equitable across groups, and is strongly linked to public transport use among older people.

Free Bus Travel and Physical Activity, Gait Speed, and Adiposity in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

We investigated associations between having a bus pass, enabling free local bus travel across the United Kingdom for state pension-aged people, and physical activity, gait speed, and adiposity. We used data on 4650 bus pass-eligible people (aged ≥ 62 years) at wave 6 (2012-2013) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing in regression analyses. Bus pass holders were more likely to be female (odds ratio [OR] = 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.38, 2.02; P < .001), retired (OR = 2.65; 95% CI = 2.10, 3.35; P < .001), without access to a car (OR = 2.78; 95% CI = 1.83, 4.21; P < .001), to use public transportation (OR = 10.26; 95% CI = 8.33, 12.64; P < .001), and to be physically active (OR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.12, 1.84; P = .004). Female pass holders had faster gait speed (b = 0.06 meters per second; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.09; P = .001), a body mass index 1 kilogram per meter squared lower (b = -1.20; 95% CI = -1.93, -0.46; P = .001), and waist circumference 3 centimeters smaller (b = -3.32; 95% CI = -5.02, -1.62; P < .001) than women without a pass. Free bus travel for older people helps make transportation universally accessible, including for those at risk for social isolation. Those with a bus pass are more physically active. Among women in particular, the bus pass is associated with healthier aging.

Integrating quasi-experimental and inductive designs in evaluation: A case study of the impact of free bus travel on public health

Evaluations of ‘natural experiments’ in public policy are typically considered ‘weak’ evidence. Challenges include: making credible claims for causal inference (internal validity); generalizing beyond the case (external validity); and providing useful evidence for decision makers. In public health, where experimental evidence is encouraged by funders and enjoys a degree of rhetorical favour, in theory if not practice, current guidance for evaluating natural experiments focuses largely on methods for strengthening internal validity. Using a case study of the evaluation of free bus travel for young people in London, UK, we demonstrate a pragmatic approach to strengthening both internal and external validity in evaluations through integrating the logic of quasi-experimental methods with inductive qualitative analysis. Combining theoretical and inductive analysis in this way to address questions of policy interest through evaluations of natural experiments may be fruitful, and have methodological advantages over randomized designs.

A102 NIHR funded research on transport and health

Abstract Background The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), through the NIHR Public Health Research Programme, funds research intended to improve the health of the public and reduce inequalities in health. The research serves a variety of key stakeholders including: decision-makers in local government, other local public services and the public. The scope of research funded is multi-disciplinary and broad, covering a wide range of interventions that improve health, including those related to transport. The NIHR has issues several calls for research in this area, this presentation will describe some of the research projects funded, their aims and results. Methods The scope of research projects funded includes investigations of how active and safe travel affects health, and interventions which could be prioritised by local authorities. Examples include: the health effects of a new urban motorway; public transport schemes such as new a busway in Cambridge, and evaluating the impact of introducing free bus travel for young people in London; walking and cycling including cycling infrastructure for reducing cycling injuries in cyclists; active travel and the environment. The methods employed by these studies include: evaluations of natural experiments, randomised controlled trials, and systematic reviews of evidence. Some of the studies have reported others are still in progress. Results Examples of results from some of the studies include: the free bus travel scheme for young people appears to have encouraged their greater use of bus transport for short trips without significant impact on their overall active travel. The scheme also had positive effects on social inclusion. Qualitative data regarding a new guided busway in Cambridge highlighted the varied ways in which people learn to use new public transport and integrate it into their everyday lives. This has implications for the introduction and uptake of other new public transport systems and the effects on physical activity and public health. Conclusions The research studies funded by the NIHR related to transport and health are varied and wide in scope; they have implications for population health both now and in the future.

Improving accessibility for older people – Investing in a valuable asset

This paper explores the contribution of older people to society, the role of mobility in the quality of life of older people, and whether making it easier for older people to travel would enable them to increase their contribution. The paper commences by considering evidence on the economic value of older people to society. This shows that older people make a net contribution through expenditure in shops, employment, voluntary work, childcare and taxation which exceeds their cost to the taxpayer. The assumptions underlying the calculations are examined and found to be robust. The patterns of travel of older people are examined and found to be consistent with the estimates of the economic contribution of older people. Mobility provides many intrinsic benefits for older people, facilitating independence, reducing social isolation and physical activity. Evidence from the examples of the ability to drive and providing free bus travel is considered. Then the contribution of older people to society in future is examined and how travel contributes to this. It is shown that changes in older people׳s mobility would affect their contribution to society. Ways in which the mobility of older people could be increased are identified.

IEA Submission to the Budget

2014 Budget should be the last in its current format Summary · Even though growth has picked up significantly in the last three quarters, the UK’s economic and fiscal challenges remain much the same. · A significant amount of fiscal consolidation will still be needed in the next Parliament, and the general election is likely to create considerable uncertainty over the likelihood of further tax rises and the medium-§term commitment to deficit reduction. · Structural factors, such as new regulation in the financial and energy sectors, the increase in the size of the state, high levels of debt, demographic trends, and the reversal of huge pre-crisis credit growth are likely to mean that we are unlikely to see significant “catch-up” growth in the medium-term relative to levels of GDP extrapolated from a pre-crisis trend line. · In our view, the best means of closing the deficit and creating the conditions for economic prosperity would be a significant reduction in government expenditure, reviewing not just the scale of state spending but also the scope of government, and allowing a significant reduction in taxation. Our publication, Sharper Axes, Lower Taxes outlined how this could be achieved. · Our more pragmatic, shorter-term suggestions for this Budget highlight policies which meet declared government aims: to reduce the budget deficit, to make the tax system more coherent, to reduce the burden of regulation, and to improve the framework of government for long-term fiscal responsibility. · Free bus travel, free TV licences and the winter fuel allowance should all be abolished. This would save around £4 billion per year. · Means-tested pensioner benefits should be increased by 1% per year for the next three years, in line with government policy for means-tested working age benefits. · Legislation should be introduced requiring thresholds for inheritance tax, stamp duty and all income tax thresholds to be increased annually by the higher of wage inflation and retail price inflation. · A wealth tax or mansion tax should be ruled out. Stamp duty should be reformed away from the current slab structure, and eventually abolished. Council tax for homes worth £1 million or more should be replaced with a tax on imputed rent. Net revenues from the tax on imputed rent should be used to reduce stamp duty. · An exemption to employment law should be introduced such that new firms and small businesses are able to treat a certain number of employees as self-employed. Mandatory sunrise clauses between the announcement of a new rule or regulation and a company’s liability to comply with it should be introduced. · The current all-encompassing Budgets and Autumn Statements should be abolished and replaced with a short statement outlining the changes to tax rates, allowances and borrowing required to meet public spending obligations. Other announcements should fall under the auspices of the relevant departments.

On the buses: a mixed-method evaluation of the impact of free bus travel for young people on the public health

BackgroundIn September 2005 London introduced a policy granting young people aged &lt; 17 years access to free bus and tram travel. A year later this policy was extended to people aged &lt; 18 years in education, work or training. This intervention was part of a broader environmental strategy in London to reduce private car use, but its primary aim was to decrease ‘transport exclusion’, and ensure that access to goods, services, education and training opportunities were not denied to some young people because of transport poverty. However, there were also likely to be positive and negative health implications, which were difficult to assess in the absence of a robust evidence base on the impact of transport policies on health and well-being.ObjectivesTo evaluate the impact of free bus travel for young people in London on the public health. Specifically, to provide empirical evidence for the impact of this ‘natural experiment’ on health outcomes and behaviours (e.g. injuries, active travel) for young people; explore the effects on the determinants of health; identify the effects on older citizens of increased access to bus travel for young people and to identify whether or not the intervention represented value for money.DesignQuasi-experimental design, using secondary analysis of routine data, primary qualitative data and literature reviews.SettingLondon, UK.ParticipantsYoung people aged 12–17 years and older citizens aged ≥ 60 years.InterventionThe introduction of free bus travel for those aged &lt; 17 years living in London in 2005, extended to those aged &lt; 18 years in 2006.Main outcome measuresQuantitative: number of journeys to school or work; frequency and distance of active travel (i.e. walking and/or cycling), bus travel, car travel; incidence of road traffic injuries and assaults and socioeconomic gradients in travel patterns. Qualitative: how free bus travel affected young people and older citizens’ travel and well-being.MethodsQuantitative component: change-on-change analysis comparing pre–post change in the target age group (12–17 years) against that seen in ‘non-exposed’ groups [for travel mode, road traffic injury (RTI) and assaults]. Qualitative component: interviews analysed using both deductive and inductive methods. Economic evaluation: cost–benefit analysis (CBA).Data sourcesLondon Area Transport Survey (LATS) and London Travel Demand Survey (LTDS) (travel mode); STATS19 Road Accident data set (RTI); Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) (assaults); interviews with young people and older citizens; and cost data from providers and literature reviews.ResultsThe introduction of free bus travel for young people was associated with higher use of bus travel by adults and young people [31% increase, 95% confidence interval (CI) 19% to 42%; and 26% increase, 95% CI 13% to 41%, respectively], especially for short journeys, and lower car distances relative to adults (relative change 0.73, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.94); no significant overall reduction in ‘active travel’ [reduction in number of walking trips but no evidence of change in distance walked (relative change 0.99, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.07)]; significant reduction in cycling relative to adults (but from a very low base); a reduction in road traffic injuries for car occupants (relative change 0.89, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.95) and cyclists (relative change 0.60, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.66), but not pedestrians; an overall modest increase in journeys to work or school (relative change 1.09, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.14); equivocal evidence of impact on socioeconomic gradients in travel behaviour and no evidence of adverse impact on travel of older people aged &gt; 60 years. An increase in assaults largely preceded the scheme. Qualitative data suggested that the scheme increased opportunities for independent travel, social inclusion, and a sense of belonging and that it ‘normalised’ bus travel. The monetised benefits of the scheme substantially outweighed the costs, providing what the Department for Transport (DfT) considers ‘high’ value for money.ConclusionThe free bus travel scheme for young people appears to have encouraged their greater use of bus transport for short trips without significant impact on their overall active travel. There was qualitative evidence for benefits on social determinants of health, such as normalisation of bus travel, greater social inclusion and opportunities for independent travel. In the context of a good bus service, universal free bus travel for young people appears to be a cost-effective contributor to social inclusion and, potentially, to increasing sustainable transport in the long term. Further research is needed on the effects of both active and other travel modes on the determinants of health; the factors that influence maintenance of travel mode change; travel as ‘social practice’; the impact of driving license changes on injury rates for young adults and the value of a statistical life for young people.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.

Health impacts of free bus travel for young people: evaluation of a natural experiment in London

BackgroundWe used the introduction of free bus travel for young people in London in 2005 as a natural experiment with which to assess its effects on active travel, car use,...

‘We Can All Just Get on a Bus and Go’: Rethinking Independent Mobility in the Context of the Universal Provision of Free Bus Travel to Young Londoners

This paper uses qualitative data from interviews with 118 young Londoners (age 12–18) to examine how the universal provision of free bus travel has affected young people’s independent mobility. Drawing on Sen’s capabilities approach, we argue that free bus travel enhanced young Londoners’ capabilities to shape their daily mobility, both directly by increasing financial access and indirectly by facilitating the acquisition of the necessary skills, travelling companions and confidence. These capabilities in turn extended both opportunity freedoms (e.g. facilitating non-‘necessary’ recreational and social trips) and process freedoms (e.g. feeling more independent by decreasing reliance on parents). Moreover, the universal nature of the entitlement rendered buses a socially inclusive way for groups to travel and spend time together, thereby enhancing group-level capabilities. We believe this attention to individual and group capabilities for self-determination provides the basis for a broader and more child-centred view of independent mobility than the typical research focus upon travelling without an adult and acquiring parental permissions.

More than A to B: the role of free bus travel for the mobility and wellbeing of older citizens in London.

This study contributes to the literature on mobility and wellbeing at older ages through an empirical exploration of the meanings of free bus travel for older citizens, addressing the meanings this holds for older people in urban settings, which have been under-researched. Taking London as a case study, where older citizens have free access to a relatively extensive public transport network through a Freedom Pass, we explore from a public health perspective the mechanisms that link this travel benefit to determinants of wellbeing. In addition to the ways in which the Freedom Pass enabled access to health-related goods and services, it provided less tangible benefits. Travelling by bus provided opportunities for meaningful social interaction; travelling as part of the 'general public' provided a sense of belonging and visibility in the public arena - a socially acceptable way of tackling chronic loneliness. The Freedom Pass was described not only as providing access to essential goods and services but also as a widely prized mechanism for participation in life in the city. We argue that the mechanisms linking mobility and wellbeing are culturally, materially and politically specific. Our data suggest that in contexts where good public transport is available as a right, and bus travel not stigmatised, it is experienced as a major contributor to wellbeing, rather than a transport choice of last resort. This has implications for other jurisdictions working on accessible transport for older citizens and, more broadly, improving the sustainability of cities.

Bus passes boost activity

Physical activity in older adults has health benefits, but advice is not always enough to change behaviours. This study conducted a secondary data analysis to explore the physical activity benefit of the National Bus Pass scheme in England. The scheme was introduced in 2006 giving free local bus travel to those aged over 60.