Free Haryana Roadways Travel Extended to Passengers With 40% Disability

GURUGRAM: Haryana has widened its free bus-travel benefit for persons with disabilities, lowering the eligibility threshold from complete disability to 40% or more. The Gurugram Roadways depot has circulated the order to its staff, making a larger group of passengers eligible to travel without fare on ordinary state transport buses.

Until now, the concession was restricted to people assessed as having 100% disability. The revised rule includes those with certified disability ranging from 40% to 99%, a group that may travel frequently for work, education, medical appointments and government services but previously had to pay the regular fare.

The benefit applies to ordinary Haryana Roadways services operating within the state. It does not automatically cover every premium, air-conditioned or interstate service, so passengers should check the service category before boarding. Conductors have been instructed to implement the order, while reserved seating for passengers with disabilities is to continue.

The rule for attendants remains more limited. A person with 100% disability can continue to take one helper or attendant free of charge. An attendant travelling with a passenger whose certified disability is between 40% and 99% will not receive the same fare exemption under the current order.

For Gurugram, the change can have an outsized impact because many essential destinations are spread across a large district. Government hospitals, colleges, industrial areas and administrative offices are not always connected by a single direct route. Repeated fares and changes between buses can become a meaningful monthly burden for a household already meeting treatment or assistive-device costs.

Successful implementation will depend on clear documentation rules. The transport department should specify which disability certificate or identity card is accepted, whether a digital copy is valid and how conductors must handle a genuine passenger when the verification system is unavailable. Confusion at the bus door would defeat the dignity the policy is intended to protect.

Fare relief also does not by itself create accessible transport. Depots and bus stops need level boarding areas, unobstructed paths and announcements that passengers with hearing or visual disabilities can use. Staff training is essential so assistance is offered without humiliation, delay or unnecessary questioning.

The revised threshold brings public transport support closer to the nationally recognised benchmark-disability category. Gurugram depot officials now need to monitor complaints and ensure the order is followed consistently across routes. A concession becomes meaningful only when an eligible passenger can use it confidently on an ordinary journey, without having to argue for a right already granted.