12.54 crore free trips, rise in male passengers; Priyadarshini hits 100 days

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ‘Priyadarshini’ free bus travel scheme, which has opened a new chapter in the history of travel freedom and dignity for women in Kerala, completed 100 days on September 22. Transport Minister C P John said that the scheme, implemented by the UDF government soon after assuming office, has brought significant changes to the daily lives of ordinary women.

A total of 12.54 crore free trips were made under the project over a period of 97 days from June 15 to September 19. Tickets worth Rs 266.53 crore were provided free of cost to passengers during this period. An average of 12.93 lakh people use the service every day, he added.

Enthusiastic women’s participation

The number of daily passengers, which stood at 11.08 lakh during the first week, increased to 13.93 lakh by the 13th week--a rise of 25.7 %. The daily ticket value also increased from Rs 2.36 crore in the first week to Rs 2.95 crore in the 13th week, representing a 25.1 % increase.

On a monthly basis, an average of 12.12 lakh people travelled per day in June. The figure rose to 13.62 lakh in July and reached 13.99 lakh up to September 19. The daily average in August was 12 lakhs.

The highest single-day figure since the launch of the scheme was recorded on September 7. 15,52,761 people travelled on that day and the value of Priyadarshini tickets that day was Rs 3.29 crore. This surpassed the previous record of 15.28 lakh passengers recorded on July 6.

Place for everyone

The share of free passengers among the total passengers on ordinary buses has increased from 62 % in the first week to 68.9 % currently, where it has stabilised. The figures also show that the increase in free passengers has not affected those who travel by purchasing tickets.

The number of male passengers on ordinary services has remained largely stable, increasing slightly from a daily average of 6.09 lakh in the first week to 6.19 lakh in the 13th week.

The total number of passengers across all services increased from 24.66 lakh in the first week to 27.63 lakh, representing a 12.1 % increase.