Private bus owners request govt to examine free travel for women in KSRTC

PALAKKAJD: Private bus owners came to the fore against the free travel for women in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). The bus operators organization said the public transport system will be destroyed. The bus owners criticized that the private bus sector will be destroyed and private bus employees will be in a situation like having no salaries like the KSRTC.

Seventy percent of the passengers in private buses are women. If women are given free travel in KSRTC, private bus services will have to be operated only for students. There are few private buses in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The situation in Kerala is not like that. Therefore, the bus owners demanded that the announcement be reviewed and a new package be announced for the private bus sector. Allowing free travel for women in KSRTC is one of the important election promises of the UDF. The UDF presented this in the manifesto released under the name 'Indira Guarantee'. KSRTC has been conducting a daily census of women passengers since May 9. The data is collected through a system called 'gender ticketing'.