Travel Delhi for free

by Preeti Devgan (India)

Making a local connection India

"Get two tickets." The woman said withdrawing money from the wallet. The girl took money and went to the bus conductor. "But you don’t need pay money to buy a ticket." Another woman sitting next to her said. Hearing this, the woman made a face of disbelief and said, "But, you have to pay money, no." The girl comes back with a ticket. (Smiling) "Our ticket is free; we don’t need money to buy ticket. Uncle has said just sit down and let the driver know wherever you want to get off." The child came and sat between the two women. The bus started going on its way. There was still no talk between the two women, but whenever they got their eyes meet, a smile streaked over their lips. My first free DTC bus journey started with this story. This was the first time that there was not a single penny involved for traveling in a ‘Delhi transport corporation(DTC)’ bus as for the women in Delhi the local DTC bus service was given free to all the female passengers by the ‘Government of Delhi’. Prior to this, I have been on the bus without ticket, traveled using my student DTC passes but this time there was no ticket. In such a time, I came out of this happiness that I saw a person who was wearing a khaki uniform (Uniform meant for the Police in India). I thought that the policeman would get down at the next stop but he was in the bus, talking to the driver too. So in the mind a sentence echoed loudly "From now on, 'Marshal' will also be deployed in the buses." When looked at the side, it had a poster of Arvinnd Kejriwal(chief Minister of Delhi, India) written on it, about the free bus journey and the deployment of the Marshal. Knowing this whole experience had brought me back to my childhood. When you had to just walk around without have to worry about anything. Gradually, this feeling began to surround me that it is such a liberating experience that if I want to go somewhere, I do not need money. I can at least see my city for free. If you are able to save even 10 rupees a day during unemployment, it feels good. This was my thing. Now all the other women might not even have to think about money whether they have money or not. They would not have to ask for money from any earning member of the house to pay me travel experience. They have this opportunity to travel; if any day, they also want to go out to see few places in their own city with friends. How important it is to roam, I do not need to write this here for any human being. Due to the circumstances of the house, they may still not be able to get out of the house freely, but if they feel like it any day, they have this option. In these thoughts, my attention gone to the woman, who was giving away money to buy ticket. I realized that there is still a large section of women in the public that are unaware about this thing that they can travel for free in the state/City Delhi in DCT bus. In this time my stop had come and I got off the bus. There was a joy in the mind and I was hopeful that this thing which perhaps all the women do not know yet will reach to them. Those women who know will take it to other women. Just one thing I did not understand why the color of the ticket is pink? Preeti Devgan