Thiruvananthapuram, 22 May (H.S.):

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has submitted a detailed report to the state government outlining the potential financial burden of implementing a free travel scheme for women passengers across its bus services. The report presents estimates of the substantial revenue losses the corporation may face if the proposal is introduced in the state.

According to the preliminary assessment submitted to the Transport Secretary, KSRTC could lose at least ₹57 crore per month if free travel is introduced only in its ordinary bus services. The estimates form part of a broader financial analysis prepared by the corporation, taking into account the likely impact over the next three months, including the expected rise in passenger movement during the upcoming academic year.

The report warns that the financial burden would increase significantly if the scheme is expanded to cover additional categories of services. If free travel is extended to both ordinary and city fast services, the projected monthly loss would rise to around ₹65 crore.

The impact becomes even larger if the benefit is applied to ordinary, limited-stop fast, and superfast services. Under such a scenario, KSRTC estimates that it would face a monthly revenue shortfall of nearly ₹90 crore.

The report further states that extending the scheme to all categories of KSRTC buses — including premium services such as Volvo air-conditioned and sleeper buses — would result in an estimated monthly revenue loss of ₹112 crore.

KSRTC's existing passenger data indicates that nearly 1.2 million women passengers rely on its services across Kerala every day. To obtain a more accurate understanding of travel patterns, including the number of women passengers and the distance they travel, the corporation had earlier introduced a gender-ticketing system across depots.

The state government is also examining the experiences of neighbouring states such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where similar schemes have already been introduced. Karnataka excludes luxury AC and sleeper buses from its free travel programme for women, while Tamil Nadu limits the benefit primarily to ordinary town bus services.

The government is expected to study these models before taking a final decision on the proposed scheme in Kerala.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman