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Kerala’s Priyadarshini Free-Ride Push Swells Women’s Bus Use and Strains KSRTC

The state has pledged to reimburse KSRTC for immediate fare losses, prompting talks of interstate limits and operational changes to cope with surging demand.

Overview

  • The UDF government launched the Priyadarshini scheme on June 15 to give women and transgender persons free travel on multiple KSRTC Ordinary services.
  • Official data showed women riders in Ordinary buses rose to 11.84 lakh on June 16, about 64% of ordinary-class passengers that day.
  • Transport Minister C. P. John said the state will reimburse KSRTC for the estimated daily liability of ₹2.46 crore reported on June 16.
  • Depot officials at Kumily reported heavy use by Tamil Nadu plantation workers and a fall in per-bus collections from roughly ₹26,000 to under ₹8,000 on affected interstate routes.
  • KSRTC has converted two City Fast buses to Ordinary and officials are weighing interstate exclusions, extra services and a reported annual cost near ₹800 crore as they assess longer-term fixes.