The scheme offering free rides to women in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses will be implemented from June 15 only in the ‘regular’ category of buses, Kerala Chief Minister V D Sathisean announced on Wednesday.
The ‘regular’ category of KSRTC buses operate mostly on short-distance local routes within a large city or between two cities. The Prime Minister added that the scheme will be implemented in “regular” buses on a pilot basis, and further studies will determine whether it will be expanded to include other categories of long-distance buses, such as “Express Passenger,” “Super Express,” “Super Express,” and “Manal.”
“The monthly cost of the scheme will be between $65 and $70 Crores. Annually, the state will bear a burden $750-800 Crores. The state government will bear the additional expenses of the scheme. “The scheme will be known as Priyadarshini,” the Prime Minister said at a press conference on Wednesday after the Cabinet gave the green light to the project.
Providing free bus rides to women was among the five “Indira guarantees” given by the United Democratic Front as part of its election manifesto. This is the first time that the free bus ride scheme is being implemented in the state.
The Chief Minister stressed that the scheme will be open to women and trans people regardless of age or financial backgrounds across the state and aims to empower them socially and financially.
When reporters asked why the scheme was not implemented in all categories of KSRTC buses, the Chief Minister said: “This is the first phase where we are introducing the scheme in regular bus category. We will conduct detailed studies and consider expansion later.”
CM Satheesan also said that the state government would make plans to help the loss-making KSRTC grow financially. “Additional revenue will be generated through advertising and new services,” he said.
Transport Minister CP John stressed that 3,411 of the 4,500 KSRTC buses belong to the “regular” category plying on short local routes. He said: “All these services will now be free for women and transgender people. They can travel anywhere regardless of distance, and can even make multiple trips a day.”
There are concerns that the free ride system will lead to regional disparities given that KSRTC does not have uniform regular services in all regions. While the state-run bus company runs a large number of services in areas like Thiruvananthapuram, there are fewer services and buses in areas like Malappuram in northern Kerala. In some areas, privately run buses cover a larger portion of routes than KSRTC.
The Transport Minister admitted that some constituencies in the state like Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod district do not have any “normal” services from KSRTC. “In such areas, we can consider hiring private buses and implement the scheme,” he told reporters.
The State Private Bus Operators Association has called an emergency meeting this week to discuss the ramifications 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 will sound a death knell for them as it will result in women completely shifting to state-run buses on specific routes where both types of buses operate. They said that this proposal, along with rising fuel prices, would negatively affect the industry.
