Bengaluru: As the Congress-led UDF prepares to take over the reins of Kerala, private bus operators in the state have raised a red flag over its plans to roll out free bus travel for women in the state-owned KSRTC buses.
This is one of the flagship poll guarantees the Congress announced in its election manifesto after it rode to power, three years ago in Karnataka, on the same promise.
While women may cheer the promise, the All-Kerala Bus Operators’ Organisation general secretary T Gopinathan told a media conference that the election promise, if implemented, would hurt the revenues of private buses. If the government still wished to implement, it could do so but only after announcing a relief package for private buses, he added.
Soon after the UDF swept in the assembly polls, the results of which were announced on May 4, the KSRTC has introduced “gender ticketing” in buses to get an idea of the number of women it is serving daily. The private bus operators have been upset that the UDF did not consult them before making the election pledge and have urged the government to meet up with the stakeholders before taking a final view on the subject.
Gopinathan added that the private bus operators will take a big hit if women passengers shift to the KSRTC buses and will end up serving only to students. Tens of thousands of people are dependent on private buses for their livelihood, and a rollout of free travel scheme would imperil their income if it’s not accompanied by commensurate support to the sector.
An open-ended free bus travel for women on KSRTC mirrors Karnataka’s Shakti programme, which is estimated to cost the exchequer about Rs 5,300 crore in 2026-27.
Going by Karnataka’s experience, Kerala’s free bus for women may prove to be bugbear. Delays in bus subsidy payments — as seen in Karnataka — would only further weaken the finances of the debt-laden KSRTC.
This is one of the flagship poll guarantees the Congress announced in its election manifesto after it rode to power, three years ago in Karnataka, on the same promise.
While women may cheer the promise, the All-Kerala Bus Operators’ Organisation general secretary T Gopinathan told a media conference that the election promise, if implemented, would hurt the revenues of private buses. If the government still wished to implement, it could do so but only after announcing a relief package for private buses, he added.
Soon after the UDF swept in the assembly polls, the results of which were announced on May 4, the KSRTC has introduced “gender ticketing” in buses to get an idea of the number of women it is serving daily. The private bus operators have been upset that the UDF did not consult them before making the election pledge and have urged the government to meet up with the stakeholders before taking a final view on the subject.
Gopinathan added that the private bus operators will take a big hit if women passengers shift to the KSRTC buses and will end up serving only to students. Tens of thousands of people are dependent on private buses for their livelihood, and a rollout of free travel scheme would imperil their income if it’s not accompanied by commensurate support to the sector.
An open-ended free bus travel for women on KSRTC mirrors Karnataka’s Shakti programme, which is estimated to cost the exchequer about Rs 5,300 crore in 2026-27.
Going by Karnataka’s experience, Kerala’s free bus for women may prove to be bugbear. Delays in bus subsidy payments — as seen in Karnataka — would only further weaken the finances of the debt-laden KSRTC.
