Bumpy Ride: Private bus sector in Keralam staring at a crisis

It was raining intermittently on a cloudy evening when a private bus on the Attingal–Venjaramoodu route entered the crowded Attingal private bus stand in Thiruvananthapuram in Keralam.

Even before the engine fell silent, the bus crew spotted another bus at the stand—a service that, according to the route schedule, should have left the stand around 30 seconds ago. Within moments, a heated argument began between the crew of the two buses. The crew of the former bus alleged that the latter bus was eating into their business by deliberately delaying its departure and poaching passengers. After several minutes of heated exchanges, the latter bus finally left the stand, with only a handful of passengers.

A private bus on the East-Fort to Nettayam route in Thiruvananthapuram parked adjacent to a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus at the East Fort bus stand. With the Keralam government introducing the Priyadarshini free travel scheme, the private bus operators claim that they are struggling to survive. | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

Though that confrontation ended there, another, milder altercation erupted inside the former bus. The owner-turned-conductor directed his frustration towards the driver. Throughout the journey, the conductor had repeatedly urged the driver to speed through the heavy evening traffic, skip some stops and ensure that the bus reached the stand on schedule.

K.N. Rajesh (name changed), a middle-aged driver with around 22 years of experience at the wheel, said no amount of skill acquired over the years could have helped him beat the heavy evening traffic in the town and the delay was unavoidable. Yet, the bus had lost a handful of passengers as it arrived about 30 seconds late. The delay will cause a cascading effect on passenger numbers at nearly half the stops along the route, he says.

“As bus workers, we try to avoid such situations. In our bid to maintain time and minimise losses, we may inadvertently commit minor traffic violations such as jumping a red signal at the last moment or skipping certain stops or services,” says Rajesh.

The episode offers a glimpse into the daily dramas unfolding across Keralam’s public transport network, where intense competition, fuelled by dwindling revenues of private bus operators, has become commonplace. The situation has worsened since the State government introduced the Priyadarshini free travel scheme on Ordinary buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) for women and transgender persons on June 15, 2026.

Janatha Sabu, a private bus owner and member of the Kerala Motor Transport Workers’ Welfare Fund Board, notes that the industry has been in the doldrums since the COVID-19 outbreak, with nearly a third of its passenger base switching to alternative modes of transport. The Priyadarshini scheme has now dealt another severe blow to the already struggling private bus industry, eroding more than 50% of its existing passenger base, observes Sabu.

The resulting scramble for getting passengers has intensified competition and turned bus stands across the State into venues of frequent confrontations. The scheme, a poll promise of the United Democratic Front, has now emerged as a major success, with women passengers embracing the scheme. Transport Minister C.P. John says the scheme had facilitated an average 12.93 lakh free journeys a day in 100 days, entailing a financial liability of around ₹267 crore for the KSRTC.