Free Travel in S.T. Bus to the Disabled Persons

What is the Free Travel in S.T. Bus scheme for disabled persons?

The Free Travel in S.T. Bus to the Disabled Persons scheme; in Gujarati, Divyang Vyaktine S.T. Bus Ma Mafat Musafarino Labh Aapvani Yojana, is run by the Directorate of Social Defence under the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat. It gives a person with disability free travel on the state's public bus network instead of a partial fare concession.

According to the Directorate's scheme page, a person with disability is entitled under this scheme to free travel in all types of buses of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) within the state, and where the journey goes outside Gujarat, free travel up to the last station of the bus route outside the state. That second part is easy to miss and financially significant: on an interstate route, the entitlement does not stop at the Gujarat border but runs to the route's terminal stop.

The scheme sits alongside the Directorate's other disability welfare schemes — assistive device assistance, scholarships for students with disabilities, Sant Surdas Yojana, the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension, marriage assistance and the two-wheeler purchase assistance for persons with orthopaedic disability. Free bus travel is the most widely used of them, because it is a recurring benefit that does not depend on any annual budget allocation to the individual.

Key features

• Eligibility threshold: 40 per cent or more disability.
• Coverage: all types of GSRTC buses for travel within Gujarat.
• Interstate travel: free up to the last station of the route outside Gujarat.
• Application: online on esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in, and through Digital Seva Setu e-Gram centres on the Digital Gujarat platform.
• Approving authority: the District Social Defence Officer.

Who is eligible for free ST bus travel in Gujarat?

You can claim the benefit if:

• You have a disability of 40 per cent or more, certified by the competent medical authority under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
• You are a resident of Gujarat, since the scheme is administered by the Gujarat Social Justice and Empowerment Department through District Social Defence Officers.
• You hold, or can obtain, the supporting identity documents: Aadhaar, address proof and a photograph for the travel identity card.

You cannot apply, or will not be eligible, if:

• Your certified disability is below 40 per cent. The Directorate states the threshold plainly and there is no discretion below it.
• You do not hold a valid disability certificate from the competent medical authority. A private doctor's letter is not a substitute.
• You are not a resident of Gujarat, because the district-level approval route and the identity card are both tied to a Gujarat district.
• Your certificate has expired, where it was issued as a temporary certificate for a fixed period. Renew it before applying or before travelling.

What documents are required?

Carry originals when you visit an e-Gram centre, and keep clear scans if you are applying yourself online. The disability certificate is the document the whole application turns on, so make sure the percentage figure and the issuing authority's seal are legible in the scan.

How to apply for free ST bus travel in Gujarat

1. Get a disability certificate showing 40 per cent or more from the competent medical authority, if you do not already hold one.
2. Open esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in, the Social Justice and Empowerment Department's citizen portal, and register yourself as a new user.
3. Log in and update your profile with your personal, address and category details. The portal's own stated flow is register, log in, update profile, apply for the scheme, submit.
4. Select the disability welfare scheme list and choose the scheme for free travel in S.T. buses for persons with disability.
5. Upload the disability certificate, Aadhaar, residence proof and photograph, then submit the application and save the acknowledgement number.
6. Wait for the District Social Defence Officer to verify and approve the application, and collect the travel identity card issued to you.

How to apply through an e-Gram centre in one day

1. Visit your village or ward e-Gram centre, which delivers services under Digital Seva Setu on the Digital Gujarat platform.
2. Carry the original disability certificate, Aadhaar, residence proof and a passport photograph.
3. Ask the operator to file the application for free ST bus travel for persons with disability.

The Directorate states that the benefit of this scheme has been made available through e-Gram centres under Digital Seva Setu on the Digital Gujarat portal so that it can be given in a single day. For an applicant with mobility difficulty, this is the route that avoids repeated trips to the district headquarters.

How is the benefit actually used on the bus?

The benefit is delivered through an identity card rather than through a cash payment or reimbursement. Once approved, the traveller shows the card at the time of boarding or booking, and the fare is not charged. GSRTC's own passenger information confirms that holders of a disability identity card can make bookings on the basis of that card, including on premium services such as Volvo and air-conditioned sleeper buses.

Two practical points follow. First, always carry the card. A conductor cannot grant the concession against a disability certificate photocopy alone in every case. Second, on an interstate route, tell the booking clerk that your entitlement runs to the last station of the route outside Gujarat, since the free entitlement is not limited to the portion inside the state.

How do I check my application status?

1. Log in to esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in with your registered credentials.
2. Use the portal's application status option and enter your acknowledgement number.
3. If the application is pending for a long time, contact the District Social Defence Officer, who is the authority supported to verify and approve applications received online.

Why applications get rejected

• Disability below 40 per cent on the certificate.
• Certificate issued by an authority that is not the competent medical authority, or an expired temporary certificate.
• Name mismatch between the disability certificate, Aadhaar and the application form.
• Unreadable uploads, particularly a scan where the disability percentage or the issuing seal cannot be read.
• Address proof outside Gujarat, which takes the applicant outside the district officer's jurisdiction.

Most rejections here are certificate problems rather than eligibility problems. If the certificate itself is the issue, the correction runs through the medical board at the district civil hospital, not through the Social Defence office.

Help and grievance redressal

• Directorate of Social Defence, Gujarat: Block No. 16, ground floor, Dr Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Sector 10, Gandhinagar 382010, phone 079-23256309.
• District Social Defence Officer in your district, for application verification, approval and card issue.
• GSRTC customer support: toll-free 1800 233 666666, and the corporation publishes a list of grievance redressal officers for persons with disabilities on gsrtc.in.
• Portal: esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in, which carries a citizen help manual and application videos.

No fee is charged for this application or for the travel identity card. If an e-Gram operator asks for a payment beyond the notified service charge, raise it with the District Social Defence Officer.