Transport Minister C.P. John during the launch ceremony of the ‘pink bus’ services for women, by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday (July 23, 2026).
| Photo Credit: JAYAMOHAN A
The Kerala government launched the women-only ‘pink bus’ service introduced by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), at the Thiruvananthapuram Central depot on Thursday (July 23, 2026), as part of the government’s 100-day action plan.Speaking after inaugurating the State-level roll-out of the initiative, Transport Minister C.P. John said the project is being implemented with the aim of ensuring safe and comfortable travel for working women. The government’s goal is to create an environment where women can travel freely.Pink bus services will operate at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. to ensure safety during night travel for women working in places including Technopark. The project will be extended to other districts soon, and the routes and timings will be determined after assessing the requirements of the passengers, said the Minister.In addition to night services, the pink buses will ply during the day as well. The Minister said that pink bus services have been arranged in the morning to ensure safe travel to the medical college for women arriving by train, mothers traveling with small children, and patients.Stating that the KSRTC is doing exemplary work in promoting the use of public transport, the Minister said that it has gained strong trust and acceptance among the people, which has increased the confidence and pride of the employees. Mr. John added that there is no basis for the fear that the salaries of the employees would be affected in the name of implementing the free travel scheme.
