Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan inaugurated the Priyadarshini Scheme in Thampanoor. Under this scheme, it has been said that women and transgenders will be economically empowered by providing free bus service. The Chief Minister inaugurated the scheme at Thampanoor Central Bus Station at around 9:30 am. At the time of inauguration, the Chief Minister and other respected persons were taken from the bus stand to the Secretariat complex, which was conducted by the women crew.
This scheme is for all women and transgender people in ordinary buses of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). The scheme will cover around 3125 ordinary buses run by KSRTC and is expected to have a long-term impact on women across the state. However, due to operational problems, all the buses are not in service right now.
You will get seven free services
Under this scheme, women and transgender people can travel free of cost on seven types of ordinary services of KSRTC, which include Ordinary, City Ordinary, Limited-Stop Ordinary, Fare-Stage Ordinary, Town-to-Town, Point-to-Point and Gramvandi services. Before the launch of the scheme, stickers were placed on the buses so that passengers could identify the services covered under this scheme.
VIDEO | Thiruvananthapuram: “’Priyadarshini’ scheme doesn’t create financial crisis for Kerala. I have confidence in Minister of Transport and his team that they will increase KSRTC’s revenue,” says Kerala CM VD Satheesan at inauguration of free bus travel scheme for women. pic.twitter.com/XHr7sDEKv3
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 15, 2026
Showed ‘generosity’ towards women
Describing the launch of the scheme as a ‘proud moment for Kerala’, Satheesan said the free travel initiative is not an “act of generosity” towards women, but a well-designed scheme that will have long-term socio-economic benefits. “Now women can travel with pride and say that these are their government’s buses,” she said.
Confidence in private bus operators
The Chief Minister emphasized that private buses are also an important part of the public transport system. He assured the private bus operators that they do not need to worry about this scheme. He said, “The state government will take steps to compensate for any loss due to the implementation of the new scheme.” He said that the government is fulfilling its promise to the people even before completing one month in power.
What will be the procedure for travelling?
In the first phase, women and transgender people of all ages will be eligible for free travel, irrespective of their income, social status or any other parameter. According to government sources, there will be no need for prior registration, paperwork or application process.
Beneficiaries will have to collect only zero-value ‘Priyadarshini’ ticket through Electronic Ticket Machine (ETM) from the bus conductor during the journey. Sources said that this system will keep digital records of journeys so that transparent accounting can be done and KSRTC can be reimbursed for the expenses. This discount will be available in all 3125 ordinary buses of the state-run Transport Corporation, so that this facility will be available in the entire state.
The government said that the aim of this initiative is to reduce the economic burden on women and transgender people who depend on public transport for work, education, healthcare and other daily needs.
The state will compensate for the loss of KSRTC
The United Democratic Front (UDF) had promised five guarantees in its election manifesto, of which this is one. It is expected that this scheme will put a lot of financial burden on KSRTC which is facing financial crisis. However, the Chief Minister has assured that the state government will provide special financial assistance to the corporation to meet this expense.
According to initial estimates, the daily expenditure of implementing this scheme on general services alone is expected to be around ₹ 2 crore. However, the true financial burden will be ascertained only by analyzing the data related to tickets after the launch of the scheme.
The Chief Minister said that in the initial phase, women and transgender passengers will get the facility to travel free in ordinary bus services for the first 100 days. After reviewing the functioning of the scheme, the government plans to consider extending this benefit to other types of services including fast and superfast buses.
Women will get economic boost
The state government sees this initiative not only as a welfare measure but also as an economic boost. Officials estimate that this scheme can reduce the travel expenses of women by 15 percent to 25 percent, which will leave them with more money to spend and this can boost other economic activities.
Who will benefit?
This scheme is expected to greatly benefit the women of Southern Kerala, especially Thiruvananthapuram. About 687 ordinary buses are currently running in this area, while the southern districts have a total of 1268 buses, making them one of the areas that have benefited the most from this initiative.
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