Kerala CM announces free KSRTC ride for women from June 15; Vijay yet to declare date in TN

Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan announced free travel for women in KSRTC buses from June 15. The minister made the announcement following the first cabinet meeting that was held in Thiruvananthapuram. The minister also said that the other details regarding the free travel will be announced later. Even before the ministers were decided, the government had announced plans to institute gender ticketing on Kerala buses to assess the number of women who take KSRTC buses. The gender ticketing system currently records on the ticketing machines whether a passenger is a woman, a man or a child. 

Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu too, the free travel facility on state buses for women and students, announced by CM Vijay before the elections, hasn't been implemented yet. The 'vidiyal payanam' scheme, launched by Stalin's government in May 2021, is the only one still in place. However, Stalin's scheme is different from Vijay's offer to make travel free for women in all government buses, including Deluxe and Express vehicles, and offers a ticket-free commute only in ordinary buses. The implementation date has also not been announced yet.