Archive · 25 Aug 2026
Uttar Pradesh Offers Free Raksha Bandhan Bus Travel, Tightens Safety
Uttar Pradesh is giving women free bus rides for Raksha Bandhan.
Each woman can travel with one companion without paying.
The offer runs from the morning of August 27 until midnight on August 29.
It applies to Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses and more than 900 Urban Development Department buses.
Officials expect many people to travel to visit their families.
Police will increase patrols on roads, highways, expressways, and important routes.
Drivers will be checked, and buses must be safe and properly maintained.
Officials will act against speeding, overloading, drunk driving, and unauthorized passenger travel.
Bus stations are also expected to provide CCTV, clean water, cleanliness, and first-aid help.
Women and one companion can travel free on Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses from 6:00 AM August 27 to midnight August 29.
The free-travel initiative will also cover more than 900 Urban Development Department buses.
Authorities will verify private transport drivers, inspect buses, conduct substance checks, and enforce capacity and traffic rules.
Police and officials will increase patrols and prepare crowd-management plans for major routes, terminals, and festival destinations.
Bus stations must provide CCTV, drinking water, cleanliness, first aid, and officially prescribed fares.
- Who
- The Uttar Pradesh government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh, and transport, police, traffic, health, and urban development officials.
- What
- The state announced free bus travel for women and one companion while ordering additional security, driver verification, bus inspections, and crowd-management measures.
- When
- Free travel runs from 6:00 AM on August 27 until midnight on August 29; coordination meetings are to be held by August 25.
- Where
- Across Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow and the major destinations and transit areas of Mathura-Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Vindhyachal-Mirzapur, and Gorakhpur.
- Why
- To provide safe and convenient travel for women and families during Raksha Bandhan and manage the expected increase in passengers.
- Free travel period
- 6:00 AM August 27 to midnight August 29
- Eligible passengers
- Women and one accompanying companion
- Participating buses
- Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses and more than 900 Urban Development Department buses
- Driver verification
- Private bus, taxi, auto-rickshaw, and e-rickshaw drivers must undergo credential checks; private-bus drivers and conductors require police or character verification
- Safety enforcement
- Authorities will target intoxicant use, speeding, overcharging, overloading, unauthorized passenger transport, missing helmets, and missing seatbelts
- Bus requirements
- Buses must be checked for fitness and technical condition, and defective or unsafe buses cannot operate
- Station facilities
- Bus stations must provide CCTV surveillance, clean drinking water, cleanliness measures, and first-aid arrangements
