The story so far: After assuming office as Chief Minister on June 3, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced a free bus travel scheme for students across the State. The initiative will complement the existing Shakti scheme, one of the Congress government’s flagship guarantee programmes launched on June 11, 2023, which provides free travel for women, transgender persons and students on non-premium State-run buses operated by KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC.

The new student bus pass scheme is aimed at benefiting all students — from school to college level. It is expected to particularly benefit male students, as female students are already eligible for free travel under the Shakti scheme.

On June 12, 2026, the State Transport Department issued guidelines for the distribution of free passes to male students, formally extending the scheme’s benefits to them. With this move, both male and female students will be able to travel free of cost on buses operated by KSRTC, KKRTC, NWKRTC and BMTC.

What is Karnataka’s new free bus travel scheme for students?

Upon assuming office as Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar announced that all students in Karnataka would be allowed to travel free of cost on State-run non premium RTC buses across the State. The scheme is expected to benefit lakhs of students, particularly those in rural areas who rely on public transport every day to travel to nearby towns and cities for their education.

Announcing the scheme on June 3, 2026, Mr. Shivakumar said, “This is the era of the youth. Students were asking why free bus travel was available only to girls. We are now providing free bus passes to all students. School and college students will be able to travel free of charge,” Mr. Shivakumar said.

What are the eligibility conditions?

According to the guidelines issued by the State government, free bus passes will be provided to all students in Karnataka with effect from June 12, 2026. However, the existing eligibility norms governing student bus passes, including academic requirements, distance criteria and pass validity rules, will remain unchanged.

Students can apply for the free pass online through the Seva Sindhu portal by submitting the required documents.

Students who have already purchased bus passes for the current academic year can continue to use them. The government has stated that the amount paid for these passes will be refunded within 15 days. As of now, 19,792 students who had purchased passes by paying the prescribed fee are eligible for reimbursement.

Who will the scheme cover?

According to the guidelines, the scheme will benefit students residing in Karnataka even if they are pursuing their education in neighbouring States. It will also extend to students living in border areas outside Karnataka who attend educational institutions within the State.

The government has also announced accident insurance coverage for all students issued free bus passes. Under the scheme, the State will bear a monthly insurance premium of ₹5 per student. In addition, a processing fee of ₹100 per pass will be paid by the government to the State-run transport corporations.

What will be the financial impact of the scheme?

The State government has estimated the annual expenditure on the free student travel scheme at ₹286.08 crore and has assured that the amount will be reimbursed to the four State-run transport corporations — KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC.

However, transport officials have raised concerns over the financial implications of the scheme, pointing to delays in reimbursements under the existing Shakti Scheme. While they welcomed the move as a significant relief for lakhs of students, particularly those from rural and economically weaker sections, they stressed that its sustainability would depend on the timely release of funds by the government.

Officials from the four transport corporations told The Hindu that they are still awaiting substantial dues under the Shakti Scheme, which provides free bus travel for women. According to official data accessed by the newspaper, the corporations incurred expenditure of ₹17,647.50 crore in operating services under the scheme between June 2023 and February 2026. During the same period, the government released ₹13,073.75 crore towards reimbursements, leaving pending dues of ₹4,573.75 crore.

Transport corporation officials said that the delay in reimbursements has already put pressure on their finances. Rising operational expenses, including employee salaries, fuel costs, vehicle maintenance and procurement of spare parts, have added to the strain.

“While the corporations remain committed to implementing welfare schemes, delayed reimbursements affect cash flow and place additional pressure on day-to-day operations. If funds are released on time, the free student travel scheme can be implemented smoothly without imposing a financial burden on the RTCs,” a senior transport corporation official said.

How have educationists and student groups reacted?

Educationists and student organisations have broadly welcomed the State government’s decision to extend free bus travel benefits to all school and college students.

Niranjanaradhya V.P., a developmental educationist, described the move as a long-pending measure that would significantly ease the financial burden on students and their families. “We welcome the government’s decision to extend the free bus pass facility to all students. This has been a long-standing demand and will greatly benefit students, particularly those from economically weaker and marginalised sections, by helping them continue their education,” he said.

Student organisations, including the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), have also welcomed the initiative. While supporting the decision, the Karnataka State Committee of AIDSO urged the government to ensure that the scheme is implemented from the start of the academic year and without technical or administrative hurdles.

Calls grow for subsidised or free metro passes

While welcoming the State government’s decision to provide free bus travel for students, commuter groups and students have called for similar benefits on Bengaluru’s metro network.

The Bengaluru Metro Commuters Association (BMCA) recently urged the government to introduce free or subsidised metro passes for students, arguing that the impact of the scheme would be significantly enhanced if students were also allowed to travel on the city’s metro system at little or no cost.

In a statement, the association noted that unlike several public transport systems across the country, Namma Metro does not currently offer concession passes to any category of commuters, including students and persons with disabilities (PwDs). It added that demands for such concessions have remained pending for several years.

According to the association, transportation costs should not become a barrier to education. It argued that free or subsidised metro travel would enable students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds to access educational institutions, libraries, coaching centres and other academic facilities across Bengaluru without placing an additional financial burden on their families.