Sulthan Bathery: The Priyadarshini free-travel scheme appears to be giving a major boost to KSRTC services from Sulthan Bathery to Gundlupet, with passenger numbers on some trips increasing nearly fourfold as women from Wayanad and neighbouring Malabar districts flock to Karnataka to see the colourful flower gardens.

Gundlupet in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district is popular for its extensive flower cultivation, particularly marigold and sunflower fields. During the months when the fields are in bloom, the landscape along the Gundlupet–Wayanad route turns into a major attraction for visitors. The region's flowers also find a market in Kerala, particularly during the Onam season, when demand for flowers for pookkalams rises sharply.

The surge in visitors has been particularly noticeable after the Kerala government's Priyadarshini scheme, launched on June 15, under which women and transgender persons can travel free on KSRTC ordinary services.

KSRTC operates multiple services between Sulthan Bathery and Gundlupet. The route passes through Muthanga and the forest stretches of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and Bandipur Tiger Reserve before reaching the flower-growing areas around Gundlupet.

Priyadarshini effect
According to KSRTC staff, the rush is particularly heavy during weekends. Buses that normally carry around 50 seated passengers and about 20 standing passengers are at times carrying as many as 140 passengers, they said.

“On weekends, the rush is horrible. The buses are completely packed. At times, we have to carry up to 140 passengers, particularly on the trips covering the short stretch up to the Karnataka border,” a KSRTC staff member said.

A large number of passengers are women from neighbouring districts, including Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur, who travel to Sulthan Bathery and then board the Gundlupet-bound services.

The journey itself has become part of the attraction. Some passengers get off at tourist and scenic locations along the route, including the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary at Muthanga and various points beyond the Kerala-Karnataka border where flower fields are in full bloom. Many passengers, however, prefer not to get off the bus. They enjoy the flower fields from the windows while travelling through the countryside.

“Recently, around 35 women travelled on a bus, but none of them got down at any of the places. They enjoyed the scenery from the bus and returned,” the staff member said.

The Sulthan Bathery-Gundlupet route is roughly 50 km, depending on the exact destination point. From Sulthan Bathery, Muthanga is about 13 km away. The road then enters the forest zone, with the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary on the Kerala side and Bandipur Tiger Reserve after crossing into Karnataka.

The sudden increase in women passengers is being attributed largely to the Priyadarshini scheme. The passengers are issued zero-fare tickets.

For the Sulthan Bathery depot, however, the increase has brought its own operational difficulties. As per the Priyadarshini scheme, the government bears the cost of the free-travel scheme, with KSRTC being compensated for eligible journeys.

Tough times for KSRTC staff
With Onam approaching, the rush is increasing by the day, KSRTC employees said.

“We don't even get enough time to properly attend to repairs and maintenance. If one service is suspended, the rush on the other buses doubles,” a staff member said. Last week, one of the buses had to be withdrawn temporarily following a tyre puncture, increasing the pressure on the remaining services. The passenger load is particularly challenging during weekends.

The financial figures also present an unusual picture following the introduction of the Priyadarshini scheme. Staff said the recorded ticket collection of a bus could range from ₹25,000 to ₹36,000 on busy days, although the actual cash collected from passengers was only around ₹4,000, as a large majority of the passengers were women travelling under the zero-ticket scheme.

According to the figures available, the highest collection among the services on the route was ₹36,623 on Sunday, followed by ₹31,776 on Monday. The bus operating the last service, which continues to Kozhikode, recorded an even higher collection of ₹49,009 on Monday.

Officials fear the rush could become more difficult to manage once schools close for the Onam vacation and more families and groups begin travelling to see the flower fields. “I don't know how we will manage the situation with the limited number of services,” a staff member said.

However, KSRTC authorities have ruled out an immediate increase in services. Sulthan Bathery KSRTC depot station master Rony told Onmanorama that the route was already witnessing an exceptional rush on weekends and acknowledged that the overall ticket value had increased substantially. “It is a fact that we are witnessing extreme rush on weekends and that the overall collection has also increased many fold. But there is no other way,” he said.

The surge in passengers has also highlighted the need for better transport planning on the interstate route, particularly during the flower season. With Gundlupet's flower fields becoming an unexpected tourism attraction for the women from across Malabar, the Priyadarshini service has emerged as an unlikely sightseeing vehicle.