Kerala launches 'Priyadarshini' free bus rides for women, transgender people
India
Kerala just rolled out the Priyadarshini free bus ride scheme for women and transgender people, and it's already making a big difference.
Since its launch on June 15, the number of women using KSRTC ordinary busses shot up from 50% to 64%.
On day one, almost 1 million women hopped on board.
Kerala covers ₹800cr as ridership rises
By June 16, women made up nearly two-thirds of passengers in ordinary KSRTC busses, and 1.18 million women riders on June 16.
Across all bus types, women accounted for almost half of more than 2.5 million passengers.
The state is covering the entire ₹800 crore yearly cost as part of a UDF election promise, and officials are calling these early numbers a sign that the scheme is working well so far.