The scheme offering free rides for women in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses will be implemented starting June 15 only in the “ordinary” class of buses, Kerala chief minister VD Satheesan announced on Wednesday.
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“Ordinary” class of KSRTC buses mostly ply on short-distance, local routes within a large city or between two towns. The scheme will be implemented in “ordinary” buses on a pilot basis, and further studies will determine whether it is expanded to other long-distance bus categories, such as “fast passenger”, “superfast”, “super express”, and “Minnal”, the chief minister added.
“The monthly cost of the scheme would be between ₹65 and ₹70 crore. Annually, the state will bear a burden of ₹750-800 crore. The state government will bear the additional expenditure of the scheme. The scheme will be known as Priyadarshini,” the CM said at a press briefing on Wednesday after the cabinet greenlit the project.
Offering free bus rides for women was among the five “Indira guarantees” of the UDF as part of its election manifesto. This is the first time that a free bus ride plan is being implemented in the state.
The chief minister highlighted that the scheme would be open to women and trans persons regardless of age or financial backgrounds across the state and is aimed at empowering them socially and financially.
When reporters asked why the scheme was not being implemented in all categories of KSRTC buses, the CM said, “This is the first stage where we are offering the scheme in ordinary class of buses. We will do detailed studies and look at expansion later.”
CM Satheesan also said that the state government will devise plans to help loss-making KSRTC grow financially. “Additional revenue will be generated through advertisements and new services,” he said.
Transport minister CP John stressed that 3,411 of the 4,500 buses of KSRTC belong to the “ordinary” class running on short, local routes. “All of those services will now be free for women and transgender persons. They can travel anywhere regardless of the distance and even take multiple trips a day,” he said.
There are concerns that the free ride scheme would result in regional disparities considering the KSRTC does not have uniform ordinary services across all districts. While the state-run bus corporation runs a large number of services in districts like Thiruvananthapuram, there are fewer services and buses in districts like Malappuram in north Kerala. In some districts, privately-run buses cover a large section of the routes as opposed to KSRTC.
The transport minister admitted that some constituencies in the state such as Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod district do not have any KSRTC “ordinary” services. “In such areas, we can look at leasing private buses and running the scheme,” he told reporters.
The association of private bus operators in the state has called for an emergency meeting this week to discuss the fallout of the free ride scheme in KSRTC buses before holding discussions with the state government.
Private bus operators have claimed that the free ride scheme would sound the death knell for them as it would lead to women shifting entirely to state-run buses on specific routes where both types of buses operate. The proposal, along with the hike in fuel prices, will adversely affect the industry, they said.
