Kerala transport minister CP John on Monday said the scheme to offer free rides for women in state-run buses, one of the newly installed UDF government’s key poll promises, will cost the exchequer between ₹712 crore and ₹1,300 crore annually, depending on the extent of its implementation.
John told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that the free bus ride scheme would be implemented in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses from June 15 for women and transgender persons across the state.
“All women, regardless of their financial backgrounds, will be able to avail the scheme from June 15. Transgender persons have also been included. The finer details of the scheme’s implementation, such as the class of buses in which the free rides would be offered, will be revealed after the cabinet meeting on June 10,” John said.
The transport minister, along with officials from his department, met chief minister VD Satheesan at the Secretariat on Monday to discuss the implementation of the scheme.
If the scheme is restricted to the ‘ordinary’ class of KSRTC buses, which operate on short local routes, it would cost around ₹712 crore annually, the minister said. “If it is expanded to all classes of buses, it would cost ₹1,300 crore annually,” he added.
John said the financial burden of the scheme would not fall on KSRTC, indicating that the government would devise a financial package to support its implementation. The state-run transport corporation, which has been running at a loss for years, currently depends on monthly loans from the state government to pay salaries and pensions.
{{/usCountry}}John said the financial burden of the scheme would not fall on KSRTC, indicating that the government would devise a financial package to support its implementation. The state-run transport corporation, which has been running at a loss for years, currently depends on monthly loans from the state government to pay salaries and pensions.
{{/usCountry}}The promise of free bus travel for women in KSRTC buses was among the five ‘Indira Guarantees’ announced by the Congress-led UDF during the Assembly election campaign. It will be the first time a government in Kerala has introduced free bus travel for a section of society.