THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF government has backed its flagship welfare poll promise in its maiden budget by allocating Rs 600 crore to fund the Priyadarshini free travel scheme for women and transgender individuals. While the budget doubled down on state-sponsored social welfare, it has triggered a sharp polarisation within the state’s transport sector.
Private stage carriage owners, who were expecting substantial financial backing for their ailing businesses, felt profoundly let down by the fiscal announcements. They stated that the measures are completely insufficient to rescue a sector already crippled by the Priyadarshini scheme, arguing that the state-sponsored free transit initiative has decimated their passenger base and sliced daily collections by more than half, leaving the budget’s 50% tax relaxation as an ineffective remedy.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, T Gopinathan, general secretary of the All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation, said the tax reduction only translates to a meagre daily savings of Rs 106.50 to Rs 142.50 in operational expenses. He noted that female ridership in private buses has plummeted, causing crippling daily losses between Rs 1,000 and Rs 6,000 per bus due to the KSRTC’s Priyadarshini service.
Gopinathan warned that unless the government provides reimbursements to allow private fleets to offer similar free travel, private services on routes operated alongside the KSRTC will ground to a halt.