The proposed free bus travel scheme for women in Kerala is likely to be restricted to KSRTC ordinary buses. An expert committee of the KSRTC has recommended this limitation, stating that extending the free travel facility to Fast Passenger and long-distance services is financially impractical and could worsen the corporation’s financial crisis.

If the scheme is implemented, the government plans to compensate KSRTC in advance for the loss in ticket revenue, which is estimated to cost around ₹90 to ₹100 crore per month. This expenditure comes in addition to the ₹80 crore currently provided monthly by the government for KSRTC salaries and pensions. While the daily loss is estimated at over ₹90 lakhs if limited to ordinary buses, a full statewide implementation across all services would result in a daily loss of about ₹3.5 crores.

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The final decision on the scheme, inspired by similar models in Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu, will be taken in the next cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, MLA VT Balram has raised a demand in the Legislative Assembly to establish more KSRTC depots in the northern Malabar districts, pointing out that the lack of adequate KSRTC services in these regions might otherwise deprive local women of the scheme’s benefits.