Kerala to Offer Free KSRTC Bus Travel for Women from June 15

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Thursday, 11 June 2026

V D Satheesan, Chief Minister of Kerala, announced on Wednesday that the Cabinet has decided the Indira guarantee of free bus travel for women will be introduced from June 15 on ordinary services of the state-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

The concession, known as ‘Priyadarshini', will cost the KSRTC more than Rs 60 crore a month and the expenses will be on the state government, Satheesan said in a press conference after the Cabinet meeting overseen by him.

The concession will be for women of all ages and all sections of life, irrespective of their financial background or income, and for transgenders as well, he said. "At present, the government is spending around Rs 1,500 crore for the salaries and pension of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) every year," he added.

The government will provide Rs 800 crore for the scheme along with the Rs 1,500 crore already being provided to KSRTC,” he said.

The CM further said that the KSRTC has been asked to adopt various measures in the next six months to increase its revenue generation and it has agreed.

Key Highlights:

• Free KSRTC bus travel for women and transgender persons begins June 15
• State government to fund the scheme, costing over ₹60 crore per month
• Phase-wise rollout, with monthly reviews and efforts to boost KSRTC revenue

“After that we can go to the next element of the scheme,” he said.

The government will take necessary measures such as purchase of more buses; introduction of more services etc. to increase the revenue generation of KSRTC and make it profitable, he added.

“This is the initial phase of the scheme and as soon as the financial condition of KSRTC becomes better with the means of its increased revenue collection, we will be thinking of proceeding with the next stage of the scheme,” he added.

“This will be reviewed on a monthly basis, including the lesser number of KSRTC buses at Malabar and the percentage of women travelling in ordinary buses and their location, and if necessary, alternatives would be considered”, the CM said.

During the assembly poll campaign in March this year, Rahul Gandhi had also announced the five guarantees—travel free in KSRTC buses for women, a monthly stipend of Rs 1000 for girl students in colleges, increased welfare pension to Rs 3000, health insurance package up to Rs 25 lakh per family and interest-free loans of up to Rs 5 lakh for young entrepreneurs.

As part of the assurances, he had also declared the establishment of a special department for the elderly.

The Kerala Cabinet in its first meeting had decided to implement the free travel concession for women and creation of a dedicated department for elderly people.

During his press conference, Satheesan further said that the last LDF government, before coming to power, had promised to increase the welfare pension to Rs 2,500 crore.

“However, for four-and-a-half-years, the government did nothing and just before the local body polls, it increased the pension from Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,000. But the media never questions it,” he said.

As far as the government's plans for the next 5 years are concerned, he said that he will be presenting the budget soon.

Satheesan also pointed out that the previous Left government had plans of executing Rs 35,000 crore worth projects in the previous budget but there was a gap of around Rs 20,500 crore as the 16th Finance Commission did not give any revenue deficit grant to the new government.

Apart from this, the central government also cut down the devolution of taxes from 2.8 per cent to 2.32 per cent, resulting in a loss of approximately Rs 5,000 crore, he added.

Revenue deficit grants and tax devolution of 2.8 per cent, were all “guessworks” by the previous Finance Minister K N Balagopal, the CM said, a claim that Balagopal has rebutted.

Satheesan said that Balagopal expected that Kerala will get a revenue deficit grant of over Rs 14,000 crore from the 16th Finance Commission and 2.8 per cent tax devolution.

“That is the unforeseen fiscal position which we are in. We have to collect Rs 20,500 crore. No government in Kerala history ever got such an amount in the form of revenue deficit grant,” he argued, adding that the previous government enjoyed Rs 55,000 crore as revenue deficit grant, but the government of the day was not getting anything from the 16th Finance Commission.