AAP announces free bus travel, 50% concession on metro fares to students

A couple of weeks before the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday, January 17, that free bus travel would be provided to all schools and college students in Delhi.

Additionally, Kejriwal formally proposed a 50% concession on metro fares for students, urging the Central government to collaborate with the Delhi government in sharing the cost of this initiative, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

Prior to the announcement, Kejriwal also sent a letter to the Prime Minister, officially proposing the concession. He wrote: "I am writing this letter to draw your attention to an important matter concerning the students of Delhi's schools and colleges. A significant number of Delhi's students rely heavily on the metro for their daily commute to and from their educational institutions."

Explaining the rationale, Kejriwal reasoned that these measures are designed to remove a significant financial burden on students, ensuring that access to education remains uninterrupted by economic barriers.

He reiterated that the AAP and its government prioritise education above all else because only when people are educated will the country progress.

"Education is the foundation for the nation's advancement. There are many underprivileged people and children whose education gets interrupted because they lack the financial means to attend school or college," he said, according to The New Indian Express report.

Having already announced half a dozen welfare guarantees for the people of Delhi, Kejriwal went on to make a major announcement for students: "Once our government is formed, bus travel will be made free for students. Currently, women enjoy free bus travel, so female students benefit from this, but male students do not."

He also noted that in Delhi, a large number of students, especially male students, rely heavily on the metro for transportation.

"The metro is the lifeline of Delhi, but it has become very expensive. For an average student, affording metro travel is a significant burden," he said.