The Kerala government’s flagship ‘Priyadarshini’ scheme, which offers free travel for all women and transgender persons on Ordinary buses operated by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), has won the hearts of cardamom plantation workers commuting from Tamil Nadu. 

But the overwhelming response, resulting in a daily collection dip, has given rise to speculation that the government could soon limit the facility to commuters within the State boundaries. An official at the Kumily dept told The Hindu that in the light of the scheme’s popularity among plantation workers travelling in from Tamil Nadu, the authorities are believed to be thinking of introducing restrictions. The official added that the depot had already submitted details of the interstate Ordinary buses operated from there.

KSRTC Managing Director Pramoj Sankar said the corporation would permit all women commuters to travel for free on Ordinary interstate buses operated by it as long as there was no complaint against such an arrangement.

Officials said a large number of women workers travelled from the neighbouring villages in Tamil Nadu to major cardamom-growing areas in Kerala, such as Nedumkandam, Chakupallom, Anavilasom, Vandanmedu, Rajakumari, and Vallakkadavu, relying heavily on these interstate buses via Kumily, Cumbumettu and Bodimettu  for their daily commute. 

Rasathi, a resident of Gudalur in Tamil Nadu and a regular commuter, said she worked at a cardamom plantation at Chakupallom and that the free travel scheme was a major financial relief.  “Now we can take our full wages home, thanks to the Kerala government,” she said. 

Lakshmi Ammal, another worker from Cumbum in Tamil Nadu, expressed her gratitude to the Kerala Chief Minister. “Through this decision, the Kerala government is respecting women,” she said. 

An official from the KSRTC Kumily depot said the depot operated three interstate buses from early morning along the Kumily-Cumbum route, specifically covering the Cumbum-Chakkupallom, Cumbum-Anavilasom, and Cumbum-Santhamnada routes. Together, these three buses conducted nearly 20 trips each day. 

“The average daily collection per bus used to be ₹26,000, but since the implementation of the free travel scheme, it has dropped to below ₹8,000. Women passengers from Tamil Nadu now wait specifically for the free KSRTC buses, with nearly 100 to 120 women boarding each trip,” the official said. 

“Male workers from Tamil Nadu are spreading the word in their villages about the free travel for women on Kerala buses, encouraging them to use the service. Since the launch of the Priyadarshini scheme, the number of women interstate passengers has increased significantly,” the official noted.