Wani Arfat
Every morning across Jammu and Kashmir, thousands of students leave their homes carrying not merely books and notebooks, but aspirations shaped by sacrifice, uncertainty, and hope. Yet, for a vast number of them, the struggle for education begins much before they enter a classroom. It begins at bus stops crowded with anxious commuters, on roads where students wait endlessly for transport, and in the silent daily anxiety of arranging money simply to reach schools, colleges, universities, libraries, and coaching centres.
At a time when the debate surrounding free public transportation is steadily gaining momentum, one fundamental question deserves serious public and governmental reflection: who genuinely requires this support the most? The answer is neither complicated nor politically convenient.
In Jammu and Kashmir, students must remain the foremost beneficiaries of any proposed free bus travel policy because no other section of society is as directly and consistently burdened by the failures and costs of the existing transport system.
Students are economically dependent members of society. They possess neither financial independence nor stable sources of income. Every rupee spent on transportation emerges from household budgets already strained by inflation, educational expenses, electricity bills, healthcare costs, and rising prices of essential commodities.
The recent 18 percent hike in transport fares has further intensified this burden, particularly for poor and middle-class families struggling to sustain their children’s education in increasingly difficult economic circumstances.
For a labourer, farmer, street vendor, or daily wage earner, the issue of transportation is not a matter of convenience but survival. Families routinely sacrifice personal necessities to ensure that their children continue attending educational institutions.
In many households, transport expenditure has become one of the most financially exhausting aspects of education itself. When access to classrooms begins to depend upon a family’s economic capacity to pay daily fares, education gradually transforms from a constitutional and moral right into a privilege available only to the financially secure.
The crisis is aggravated by the fragile and uneven nature of public transport infrastructure across Jammu and Kashmir. In numerous areas, particularly rural and peripheral regions, reliable public transport remains severely inadequate. Students are often forced to use overcrowded sumos, minibuses, and auto-rickshaws operating on irregular schedules.
Some walk long distances daily, while others travel for hours standing due to the lack of space inside buses. During winter, conditions become even harsher as commuters endure freezing temperatures, snowfall, and dangerous road conditions.
Such challenges carry serious implications for learning. Students face absenteeism, fatigue, stress, and difficulty concentrating in classrooms. More alarmingly, transport expenses and unreliable connectivity compel some students to discontinue education altogether.
Such educational discontinuation is not the outcome of intellectual inability or lack of ambition, but of structural economic disadvantage. Whenever a student abandons education because reaching an institution becomes unaffordable, society itself loses a future teacher, doctor, engineer, administrator, scholar, or entrepreneur.
The burden falls disproportionately on students residing in villages and geographically distant areas where transport facilities are scarce and travel distances considerably longer.
Aspirants preparing for competitive examinations such as NEET, JEE, UPSC, JKPSC, and CUET face additional difficulties because irregular and expensive transport obstructs consistent access to coaching centres, libraries, and academic spaces essential for serious preparation. Consequently, many talented students gradually fall behind not because of a lack of merit, but because the pathway to education itself becomes inaccessible.
Equally alarming is the issue of safety and dignity, especially for female students. Incidents of harassment, unwelcome remarks, verbal abuse, and deeply uncomfortable situations in overcrowded public transport continue to surface regularly.
Sadly, whenever girls oppose such behaviour or raise grievances, they are often blamed instead of being protected. This reflects not only deficiencies in public transport but also a broader societal failure to safeguard women’s right to travel safely and pursue education with dignity.
In this context, the discourse surrounding free public transportation in Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford to imitate models adopted elsewhere without acknowledging regional realities. While several Indian states have introduced free travel schemes for broader demographic categories, the transport ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir remains structurally weaker, financially constrained, and operationally fragile.
Government buses remain limited, multiple routes function irregularly, and reports regarding non-operational fleets caused by maintenance deficiencies and staff shortages continue to surface frequently.
Therefore, if public resources are to be utilised for a free transport policy, prioritisation becomes essential rather than optional. Students deserve that priority because investment in educational accessibility ultimately constitutes investment in the intellectual and economic future of society itself.
This argument does not negate support for economically vulnerable women or other deserving sections. However, in conditions of limited infrastructure and constrained fiscal capacity, policy must first address the group whose future is most directly contingent upon educational continuity.
While extending free transportation facilities to women has been widely appreciated as a progressive welfare measure, an important dimension of the debate still requires thoughtful consideration. The policy currently benefits all women uniformly, regardless of economic condition, professional status, or financial capacity. Consequently, even financially secure individuals, including well-paid employees drawing substantial monthly salaries, continue to avail free transport facilities despite possessing the ability to bear transportation expenses independently.
In a region like Jammu and Kashmir, where public transport infrastructure remains limited and government resources are financially constrained, welfare policies must also reflect principles of economic prioritisation and social equity.
The central concern is not to oppose support for women, particularly those from economically vulnerable backgrounds, but to question whether universal free travel without economic distinction truly serves the larger public interest. When students from poor and middle-class families struggle daily to arrange transport money for educational survival, the allocation of limited public resources demands greater sensitivity and balanced policy planning.
A more targeted and need-based approach could ensure that genuinely deserving sections receive maximum benefit while also allowing the government to strengthen transport services for students whose educational future directly depends upon affordable and reliable mobility.
A student-centric transport policy could yield transformative results. Free transportation, or even subsidised travel passes linked with institutional identity cards, would make the system more transparent and accountable.
Special bus services during school and college timings could significantly reduce overcrowding. Simultaneously, strict monitoring mechanisms must be introduced to prevent overcharging, harassment, reckless driving, and other abuses frequently reported by commuters.
There exists widespread public expectation that the government led by Omar Abdullah and the administration will approach student concerns with seriousness and institutional sensitivity.
Educational advancement and youth welfare cannot remain rhetorical commitments alone. They require practical interventions capable of reducing the everyday hardships confronting students across Jammu and Kashmir.
Transportation cannot be treated as a secondary or external issue. It is directly linked to educational equality, social mobility, women’s dignity, and long-term societal development. Modern classrooms, scholarships, and educational reforms will hold little meaning if students continue struggling simply to reach their institutions.
In conclusion, if Jammu and Kashmir continues moving toward a free public transport policy, students must remain its foremost beneficiaries without hesitation. This is not merely a question of financial assistance; it is a moral obligation.
No student should ever be forced to abandon education because transportation has become unaffordable.
A society that fails to ease the journey of its students ultimately restricts its own future. If Jammu and Kashmir aspires to become an enlightened, empowered, and progressive society, then the road to education must first become accessible, affordable, and dignified for every student.
