Jayalalithaa announces free public transport for senior citizens

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, on Thursday, announced that senior citizens over the age of sixty could travel for free on government buses starting February 24.

Making a statement in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Ms. Jayalalithaa said through the implementation of this scheme, the AIADMK government has fulfilled all the promises it made in the 2011 election manifesto.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said the scheme would be implemented on a pilot basis in Chennai and would be expanded after studying the response.

Those over the age of sixty could apply for tokens at designated bus depots. The information on which depots to apply would be put up on the website of the Transport department soon. There would be no deadline for applications and commuters could avail the tokens for the free ride whenever necessary. A total of ten tokens would be issued every month to an individual.

The scheme will come into force on February 24, the birthday of Ms. Jayalalithaa.