Kochi: Women in Kerala will be allowed to travel free on select Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses without any income restriction under the UDF’s proposed ‘Indira Guarantee’ scheme. The free travel benefit, however, will be limited to ordinary KSRTC services and will not apply to super-class buses.

According to the proposal, all women passengers will be eligible for free travel in ordinary buses across the state. Unlike Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where special cards were introduced for women beneficiaries, Kerala is likely to allow free travel without issuing separate passes or cards. Tamil Nadu currently follows a similar model.

Kerala has around 4,700 KSRTC buses in service, of which nearly 3,000 are ordinary buses. The free travel scheme is expected to apply to these ordinary services, excluding around 300 city fast buses. The fleet also includes nearly 1,400 super-class buses and 300 fast passenger services, which are unlikely to be covered under the scheme.

At present, an ordinary KSRTC bus carries around 700 to 1,000 passengers daily. Transport officials believe extending free travel to higher-category diesel buses would not be financially practical due to rising operational expenses and fuel costs.

The proposed scheme could place an additional financial burden of nearly Rs 90 crore per month on the state transport corporation. The Kerala government already provides around Rs 50 crore monthly for salaries and Rs 80 crore for pensions to support KSRTC operations.

Officials also estimate that rising fuel prices are adding nearly Rs 3 crore in extra monthly expenses. With the free travel scheme in place, the total government support requirement could rise to nearly Rs 220 crore every month.

Officials believe the scheme could also bring indirect revenue benefits. The corporation expects that when women travel free, other family members, including men accompanying them, may also use KSRTC services more frequently, potentially increasing overall ticket revenue.

There are also discussions around promoting electric buses in the future to reduce operational costs. Officials pointed out that central government schemes encouraging electric public transport had not been fully utilised by the Pinarayi government.