The expert committee of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has concluded that offering free travel for women in fast passenger and higher-class services is financially impractical. Consequently, the proposed free travel scheme for women will be restricted exclusively to KSRTC ordinary buses, with the state government committing to compensate the public transport utility for the resulting ticket revenue losses.

The decision comes amid discussions surrounding a white paper on KSRTC’s financial health. Currently, KSRTC cannot sustain itself on ticket revenue alone, requiring a monthly government aid of ₹50 crore to cover salaries and pensions. Out of KSRTC’s total fleet of approximately 5,000 buses, which cater to around 25 lakh daily passengers, about 2,900 are ordinary services. Limiting the scheme to these ordinary buses, which primarily connect cities and rural areas, is expected to encourage families to use public transport without causing severe operational disruptions in the premium and reservation segments.

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The free travel scheme is scheduled to take effect on June 15. While some commuters had hoped to use the benefit for long-distance tourist packages, they will now have to rely on connecting ordinary services to avail of the free travel. The government aims to manage the financial impact of this decision while ensuring the sustainability of the public transport system.