Free bus rides for women: After UDF win, gender ticketing introduced in Kerala
Options for women, men, and children have been included in the ETMs to identify passenger categories when issuing tickets
After the United Democratic Front (UDF) swept to power in the state, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Saturday (May 9) began implementing gender ticketing in buses operating across the state.
Like Karnataka and Telangana, where the Congress is in power and promised free bus travel for women, the party-led UDF had promised the same across the state during the Assembly election campaign.
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However, Kerala is the first Congress-ruled state to implement the gender ticketing system and Karnataka and Telangana are likely to follow suit.
What KSRTC circular said
According to a KSRTC circular issued on Friday, the gender ticketing system is intended to record whether a passenger is a woman, a man or a child in tickets issued on KSRTC buses from Saturday.
To facilitate the system, Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) have been updated.
The circular stated that conductors in all KSRTC depots should record the gender category of passengers while issuing tickets through the ETMs.
Options for women, men, and children have been included in the ETMs to identify passenger categories when issuing tickets.
The printed tickets generated by the ETMs will also indicate the passenger's category, officials said.
Conductors raise concerns
UDF, which won 102 of 140 seats, would soon form the government after the Congress party finalises the discussion on the next Chief Minister.
The introduction of gender ticketing is being viewed as an effort to estimate the number of women travelling daily on KSRTC buses before implementing the poll promise.
Some conductors have reportedly raised concerns over the additional time required to record passenger details, especially during rush hours.