Bike crisis in Kerala

Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan and State Transport Minister CP John meet the first woman driver hired as a PSC of KSTRC during the launch of ‘Priyadarshini’, KSRTC’s free bus travel program for women in Thiruvananthapuram on June 15, 2026. Photo credit: PTI

TThe Priyadarshini bus free ride scheme for women in state buses, launched by the Congress-led Kerala government barely a month ago, has been criticized for leading to social unrest, with the latest being a strike call by private bus operators. The scheme, a poll promise of the state government, raised concerns about its sustainability even in the election campaign days.

One of the criticisms concerned its financial viability; many feared that the scheme would push the state’s ailing public transport entity, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), into an unredeemable debt trap.

The corporation’s current financial woes include its huge accumulated loss and delay in payment of salaries and pensions, which has forced both employees and pensioners to take KSRTC to court. Some even resorted to the extreme step of ending their lives as the society could not ensure continuous payment of their monthly pensions.

Austerity measures introduced by successive governments have been found grossly inadequate to save the sinking public company. At one point, oil companies even threatened to cut off fuel supplies as unpaid fuel bills continued to mount. In addition, many vehicles had to be condemned due to lack of spare parts.

With each passing day, the debt-ridden KSRTC will incur more huge losses due to the new scheme. While the scheme was initially estimated to cost KSRTC ₹ 2 crore per day, it is expected to increase in the coming days, further worsening the crisis for the public transport company.

The state government, which has come under pressure to meet its pre-election commitment to roll out the system, plans to assess the viability of the system after 100 days of its launch, which it should have done before including the proposal in the party’s election manifesto.

Collateral damage

The private bus operators have decided to go on an indefinite agitation as the scheme has led women to leave private buses in favor of KSRTC-run buses. Women form the major segment of travelers in the state. Many private buses have either stopped operating altogether or suspended their operations on a large number of routes due to low passenger traffic, thus worsening the crisis for the traveling public.

Currently, the government appears to have no compensation or support package to offer private bus operators. All the Minister of State for Transport, CP John, could offer them was advice to explore other business options to make their services viable, which was not well received by stakeholders.

Apart from bus operators, rickshaw drivers have also reportedly been affected by the scheme as women increasingly rely on KSRTC buses for commuting, depriving them of livelihood options.

Thus, the Priyadarshini scheme, which was offered to improve women’s mobility, led to an economic crisis for both the government and private operators as well as autorickshaw drivers. While the free travel initiative is expected to significantly benefit and promote women’s mobility, the government should have assessed the feasibility of the scheme and proposed a successful revenue model to sustain the program before its launch.

For example, the free travel scheme need not be extended to all, but must be limited to eligible segments among women travellers, especially students and unemployed youth and those from socially and economically weaker segments, namely women working in unorganized sectors.

Those willing or able to pay their travel expenses should pay.

Many people have started comparing the plan with the 1996 ban on arak, which was announced by the then Kerala Chief Minister AK Antony on the eve of the assembly elections, with an eye on wooing women voters. Although this regimen failed to achieve its goal of discouraging alcohol consumption, it failed to make any impact among women. Apart from failing to achieve its objective, the ban also failed to win votes for the Congress in the assembly polls.

Everyone can learn from history.

Published – 09 Jul 2026 01:17 IST