Thiruvananthapuram: Popular television news anchor Rajani Varrier has shared her first experience of travelling under Kerala’s Priyadarshini free bus travel scheme for women, saying the journey prompted her to reflect on whether public transport subsidies could be extended to a wider section of deserving passengers.

In a social media post, Varrier said she is a regular Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) commuter whenever she does not use her personal vehicle. Accustomed to boarding whichever KSRTC bus arrives first, she said she boarded a bus without noticing that it was part of the Priyadarshini scheme.

When the conductor asked for her destination, she handed over the fare as usual. The conductor, however, returned the money with a smile, signalling that no ticket charge was required. It was only then that she realised she was travelling on a Priyadarshini bus, which offers free travel for women passengers.

Varrier said the experience unexpectedly left her with a sense of guilt as she put the money back into her purse. Although she acknowledged that the scheme is funded by the government and that KSRTC would be compensated for the revenue loss, she wondered why she felt uncomfortable availing herself of the benefit.

She recalled that she had travelled by KSRTC on the day the scheme was launched as well, but had paid for her ticket then, apparently because she had travelled on a fast passenger service not covered under the programme.

While appreciating the government’s women-friendly initiative, Varrier appealed to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Transport Minister C.P. John to consider reviewing the scheme in the future to make it more inclusive.

She suggested that the government could explore issuing annual KSRTC travel passes to economically weaker sections based on income criteria similar to those used for ration cards, irrespective of gender. Such pass holders, she proposed, could be allowed free travel across ordinary, fast and super-fast KSRTC services.

According to Varrier, while free travel for women was an election promise and its implementation deserves appreciation, a broader income-based model could ensure that benefits reach a larger number of genuinely needy passengers.

She added that women who are financially capable of paying bus fares would be unlikely to oppose such a change if it resulted in greater support for economically disadvantaged sections of society.

Describing the suggestion as a personal opinion, Varrier said the idea was intended as a constructive contribution to discussions on improving public transport accessibility and welfare measures.

Rajani Varrier is widely known as a journalist and news anchor with Asianet News.