Kerala starts free bus travel for women on June 15

The government of Kerala will launch a free bus travel scheme for women on June 15, fulfilling a key campaign promise. The initiative, announced by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Wednesday, will initially allow all women, regardless of age, to travel free of cost on ordinary bus services operated by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

The program is projected to cost the state approximately 70 crore rupees per month, or nearly 800 crore rupees annually. Officials stated the entire expenditure will be reimbursed to the KSRTC by the government. The chief minister noted the state already provides around 1,500 crore rupees annually to support the state-run transport corporation and expressed confidence that the scheme would increase ridership and help improve KSRTC's revenue within six months.

The initial phase will be limited to ordinary KSRTC buses for a 100-day trial period. Transport Minister C P John indicated that extending the benefit to premium "Fast" and "Superfast" services is under active consideration. If expanded to all KSRTC bus categories, the annual cost is estimated to rise to 1,300 crore rupees.

The policy aims to ease household transportation...