A day after the Priyadarshini free travel scheme for women and transgender persons on Ordinary buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was rolled out in Kerala, the number of women passengers on Ordinary buses touched 11.84 lakh, an increase of around 2.21 lakh compared to the opening day of the scheme (June 15, 2026).

A week earlier, the number of women passengers who travelled on Ordinary buses of the KSRTC stood at 7.25 lakh (June 8, 2026). While women accounted for around 50% of the total passengers on June 8, their share increased to 56% on June 15 and further to 64% on June 16. The total number of passengers on various categories of KSRTC buses on June 16 was 25.53 lakh, including 12.03 lakh women, accounting for around 47% of the total ridership.

'Govt. will reimburse'

The financial liability incurred by the KSRTC for providing free travel to women is estimated at ₹2.46 crore on June 16. Addressing a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, Transport Minister C.P. John said the expenditure incurred towards free travel for women on Ordinary buses would be reimbursed by the State government. However, he declined to disclose the details of the understanding reached between the government and the corporation, including whether the reimbursement would be made on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

He said that not a single KSRTC bus had been rebranded as City Fast. Instead, two City Fast buses had been converted into Ordinary buses, enabling passengers on select routes in the capital to avail themselves of the scheme’s benefits.

On losses to private buses

On the possibility of significant losses being suffered by private bus operators following the launch of the scheme, he said the State government was ready to hold discussions with them to find a solution.

The Minister also said the scheme had received an overwhelming response from the public and the corporation would consider introducing additional services in different parts of the State in the future to extend its benefits to more passengers.

Under the Priyadarshini scheme, women and transgender persons can travel free of charge on seven categories of KSRTC services—Ordinary, City Ordinary, Limited-Stop Ordinary, Fair-Stage Ordinary, Town-to-Town, Point-to-Point, and Gramavandi services. The scheme, which was promised in the United Democratic Front's (UDF) election manifesto, was launched by Chief Minister V.D. Satheeshan on Monday.