Kerala's new government will launch free travel for women on state-owned KSRTC ordinary buses starting June 15, fulfilling an election promise, with the initial phase focused on ordinary services to allow for a 100-day impact assessment. This scheme, intended to benefit all women, including transgender individuals, will be funded by the government, which acknowledges it cannot be sustained by KSRTC's current revenues and estimates an annual burden of over ₹700 crore for ordinary services alone. While the government assures it will bear the financial responsibility, experts highlight potential significant increases in ridership and subsidy needs, drawing parallels to similar schemes in other states, and private bus operators have warned of potential service suspensions due to fears of substantial revenue loss, as women constitute over half of their passengers.

Kerala's new government will launch free travel for women on state-owned KSRTC ordinary buses starting June 15, fulfilling an election promise, with the initial phase focused on ordinary services to allow for a 100-day impact assessment. This scheme, intended to benefit all women, including transgender individuals, will be funded by the government, which acknowledges it cannot be sustained by KSRTC's current revenues and estimates an annual burden of over ₹700 crore for ordinary services alone. While the government assures it will bear the financial responsibility, experts highlight potential significant increases in ridership and subsidy needs, drawing parallels to similar schemes in other states, and private bus operators have warned of potential service suspensions due to fears of substantial revenue loss, as women constitute over half of their passengers.

Kerala's new government will launch free travel for women on state-owned KSRTC ordinary buses starting June 15, fulfilling an election promise, with the initial phase focused on ordinary services to allow for a 100-day impact assessment. This scheme, intended to benefit all women, including transgender individuals, will be funded by the government, which acknowledges it cannot be sustained by KSRTC's current revenues and estimates an annual burden of over ₹700 crore for ordinary services alone. While the government assures it will bear the financial responsibility, experts highlight potential significant increases in ridership and subsidy needs, drawing parallels to similar schemes in other states, and private bus operators have warned of potential service suspensions due to fears of substantial revenue loss, as women constitute over half of their passengers.

Free travel on state-owned KSRTC buses in Kerala will initially be available only on ordinary services, with the scheme set to begin on June 15. The government will assess the impact of the scheme during the first 100 days, it was decided at the meeting held by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Transport Minister C.P. John.

Free travel for women in KSRTC buses was one of the Indira Guarantees promised by the UDF during the election campaign. At its very first Cabinet meeting, the UDF government decided to implement it from June 15, but it has remained largely silent on the details of implementation.

Several models were considered, including the primary proposal, which involved the government reimbursing KSRTC for the fares of women passengers through a dedicated subsidy. As part of the preparations, KSRTC has already begun collecting data on the number of women passengers.

John said that all women, including members of transgender community, would be eligible for free travel. The final implementation framework would be announced after the Cabinet meeting slated on June 10.

The minister acknowledged that the scheme cannot be funded through KSRTC's existing revenue streams, including ticket sales and income from its assets. "For salaries and pensions alone, the government provides ₹125 crore every month to the KSRTC," he said. "In addition, the government will provide funds needed for the scheme as a special  allocation. We are still assessing the financial implications of the project."

John said limiting free travel to ordinary-class buses would impose an additional burden  of more than ₹700 crore annually on the state exchequer. Extending the benefit to all  categories of KSRTC services would increase the cost to more than ₹1,300 crore a year.

The minister said the government would bear the financial burden regardless of the  model eventually adopted. "The KSRTC need not worry about the financial burden of this  project," he said. "We have already developed a framework. The Finance Secretary, the KSRTC Managing Director, and other relevant officials are discussing the matter. Those working in KSRTC need not be concerned about the scheme."

Experts note that similar free bus travel schemes in Telangana and Karnataka led to  significant increases in ridership, while subsidy requirements expanded substantially too. Asked whether Kerala could face a similar situation, John responded, "Let us see what happens here."

Alongside KSRTC, privately-operated stage carriage buses play a crucial role in Kerala's public transport network. Industry experts note that the number of private stage carriage  buses in the state declined from around 35,000 before 2011 to approximately 7,000 by 2024. They argue that the decline was driven less by falling demand or revenue and more by what they describe as anti-competitive state policies.

Against this backdrop, the Private Bus Operators' Federation recently warned that  private bus services may have to be suspended from June 15. The federation pointed out that fuel prices have risen sharply in recent weeks and argued that the concerns of private operators must also be considered when free travel is introduced on KSRTC buses.

According to the federation, women account for more than half of all passengers on  private buses. If the free travel scheme for women is implemented, private operators fear that their revenue could fall by more than half.

The government believes that the pilot phase during the first 100 days will provide a  clearer picture of the scheme's financial and operational implications, including its impact on the wider public transport ecosystem as well as the state’s economy. 

TAGS