The scheme offering free rides to women and transgender people in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, a key promise of the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the first such proposal in the state, was launched on Monday with Chief Minister V D Sathisean asserting that it will have a profound impact on the social and financial conditions of hundreds of thousands of working women.
Called ‘Priyadarsini’, after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the scheme in its current pilot phase offers women and transgender people free rides in KSRTC’s ‘regular’ bus class. Such buses, which number about 3,100 throughout the state, run on short-distance routes within major cities or between cities.
This flagship project, one of the UDF’s five ‘Indira Guarantees’, was inaugurated by CM Satheesan in Thiruvananthapuram. He, Transport Minister C P John and Ministers Bindu Krishna and K Thulasi boarded a KSRTC bus under the scheme and traveled from Thampanur to the Secretariat. Both the driver and the commander were women.
Parallel signals of the scheme were launched in all 14 districts, led by UDF ministers and MLAs. While the Left parties CPI(M) and CPI stayed away from the inauguration ceremony, BJP activists later held demonstrations, alleging that the UDF had failed to fulfill its pre-poll promise to expand the scheme to all classes of KSRTC buses.
The Prime Minister noted that the main promise made by the United Democratic Front before the elections was implemented before the government completed a month of assuming power.
“This proposal is a sign of our respect and admiration for women. It will have a huge impact on the financial and social spheres of our society. Thousands of women from simple backgrounds depend on KSRTC buses,” Satheesan said. They include female fishermen, hardworking women working as domestic workers in houses and apartments, students, female employees and members of the general public who go to banks and hospitals. This scheme is for them.”
The state government will spend, the chief minister said $800 crore annually to fund the scheme and that the financial burden would not fall on the cash-strapped KSRTC.
“I have high hopes for the Transport Minister and the team he is leading. I am sure that KSRTC will soon tell the government that they will not need financial assistance to run the scheme,” he said.
The Chief Minister noted that the money saved by women through free KSRTC rides will circulate within the state’s economy and benefit the wider public.
“The transport sector is facing a crisis today. The state government has studied it well. Those working in the private transport sector, especially bus owners, should not be worried. They should remember that they are also part of the larger public transport sector.”
The BJP, unhappy with the state government’s decision to limit benefits to regular class of KSRTC buses, demanded implementation of the project across all classes of buses.
Suresh, general secretary, BJP: “During the election campaign, the United Democratic Front promised Kerala women free rides in all Kerala buses. But after coming to power, the UDF failed to stick to its word. The women expected free rides in all buses and are currently confused about which class of buses they can travel in without money.”
However, BJP MP and Union Minister Suresh Gopi supported the scheme and said women who can afford bus tickets should voluntarily give up this benefit to help sustain it.
“If economically secure women decide not to claim the concession, this will enable the government to provide greater support to deserving beneficiaries,” he said.
