TN Launches Pink Bus & Women Safety Initiatives in Chennai

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 27 January 2026

• MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, launched women-centric safety and mobility initiatives in Chennai
• The initiatives involved the launch of the ‘Pink Bus’ service
• Pink auto-rickshaws and pink police patrol vehicles were also launched

Chief Minister MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu launched a number of new women-centric mobility and security initiatives in Chennai including the introduction of a dedicated pink bus service.

At the same time as the Global Women’s Summit being held in Nandambakkam, he also launched a number of Pink Auto-Rickshaws and a number of Pink Police Patrol Vehicles designed to represent the government's commitment to supporting women's safety, empowerment, and the ability to participate in the Workforce.

As for the transport aspect of this initiative, a total of 10 pink buses have been launched in Tamil Nadu. These buses will operate along five distinct routes throughout Chennai specifically for Women Commuters.

Two buses will operate on each route as follows: Broadway-Ennore (56A), Korukkupettai Railway Station-Vivekananda House (32B), Sengundram-Vallalar Nagar (57), Broadway-Semmancheri (102P), and Broadway-Kannagi Nagar (102K). The purpose of this initiative is to provide Women Commuters with a safer and more convenient way to travel around Residential, Commercial and Industrial Zones within Chennai.

As part of the initiative for better transport, the Chief Minister launched eighty pink police patrol vehicles.

The total cost for these vehicles is Rs. 12 crores, and they will support enhanced urban patrol and centre coordination emergency response across eight different city police boundaries, namely: Tambaram; Avadi; Salem; Coimbatore; Tiruppur; Tiruchirappalli; Tirunelveli; and Madurai.

These vehicles are deployed to improve the on-the-ground safety for women, a commitment made by the government in the 2025-26 State Budget

During his speech at the Women’s Summit, Stalin highlighted that Tamil Nadu has the largest number of employed women in the Indian states and emphasized women’s employment as a key component of Tamil Nadu’s investment strategies for the future.

When speaking about how to achieve equitable development, he mentioned multiple existing welfare programs available to women, such as monthly financial aid to female-headed households, support for higher education, free bus transportation, women’s hostels and school breakfast initiatives.