Daijiworld Media Network – Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 11: The Kerala government's free bus travel scheme for women in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will be rolled out from Monday, with the benefit initially limited to ordinary bus services operated by the state-run transport corporation.
The scheme, named Priyadarshini, was one of the five "Indira Guarantees" promised by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) during the Assembly election campaign. It will be available to all women and transgender persons without any age restriction.
Announcing the decision, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the scheme would be implemented in phases and would mark the first such initiative in Kerala.
“This is the first time such a scheme is being introduced in Kerala. It is expected to result in a revenue loss of Rs 65-70 crore per month, or Rs 750-800 crore annually, for KSRTC. The government will compensate the corporation for the loss,” he said.
Satheesan said the second phase of the programme would be considered after reviewing KSRTC's financial health.
“The scheme will be reviewed every month. There is a shortage of ordinary KSRTC buses in north Kerala, and steps will be taken to address it. District-wise data on women passengers using ordinary services will also be analysed before future decisions are taken,” he added.
The scheme comes at a time when KSRTC continues to rely heavily on government support. Official figures show that the state spends around Rs 1,500 crore annually towards salaries of nearly 22,000 employees and pensions for about 40,000 retirees.
Despite the assistance, the transport corporation remains financially strained and is unable to fully meet its operational expenses through revenue generated from services.
KSRTC currently operates a fleet of around 4,250 buses, of which only about 3,000 are ordinary services. A large number of these buses are more than 10 years old.
The concentration of buses in southern districts such as Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam is also expected to limit the immediate impact of the scheme in northern Kerala. Official data indicate that nearly 1,400 KSRTC buses are deployed in these two districts alone.
According to the State Economic Review 2025, KSRTC operated 4,252 buses and 4,195 daily schedules during the year. The corporation's fleet strength stood at 5,953 buses in 2016-17, indicating a significant decline over the past decade.
The report noted that nearly 60 per cent of the fleet is over 10 years old, with the average age of buses in operation during 2024-25 standing at 12.5 years. Frequent breakdowns and service cancellations have become increasingly common, particularly among ordinary services.
Meanwhile, private bus operators have voiced concerns over the scheme. Of Kerala's 16,500 bus routes, around 11,000 are operated by private operators, many of whom directly compete with KSRTC. They fear that free travel for women in state-run buses could adversely affect their passenger numbers and revenue.
The launch of the scheme comes amid changing transport trends in the state. Vehicle registration data show that the number of registered vehicles in Kerala nearly doubled from 94.2 lakh in 2015 to 174.1 lakh in 2024. As of March 2025, the state had 182 lakh registered vehicles, an increase of 4.55 per cent from the previous year, with two-wheelers accounting for 118.67 lakh of the total.