A financial fraud has reportedly surfaced in Kerala’s Priyadarshini free bus travel scheme, with several KSRTC conductors allegedly issuing “Zero Value Tickets”, meant exclusively for women, to male passengers while pocketing the fare collected from them, as reported in Mathrubhumi English.
The alleged scam came to light following complaints from passengers, prompting inquiries by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). Reports suggest that attempts are also being made to settle the issue through political intervention and persuade complainants to withdraw their grievances.
How The Fraud Worked
Under the Priyadarshini scheme, women are entitled to free travel on KSRTC buses. Conductors issue these passengers Priyadarshini Free Travel (PFT) or “Zero Value Tickets,” while male passengers are required to purchase regular tickets.
According to the investigation, some conductors allegedly exploited passengers who failed to verify their tickets by issuing them free-travel tickets meant for women while collecting the normal fare in cash. Since the ticketing machine records the value of every free ticket, KSRTC later claims reimbursement for those fares from the state government, while the cash collected from male passengers is allegedly retained by the conductors.
Passenger Complaints Expose The Scam
One such case was reported on the Aluva-Paravur route, where a male passenger from Tamil Nadu realized after completing his journey that he had been issued a free ticket reserved for women. He immediately lodged a complaint with the KSRTC Operating Control Centre via email.
During the departmental inquiry, the temporary conductor claimed the bus had been overcrowded and attributed the mistake to poor eyesight. However, a review of the electronic ticketing records reportedly showed that only 34 passengers were on board at the time, contradicting his explanation. The inquiry concluded that the conductor had obtained illegal financial gain through the fraudulent transaction.
In another incident on the Ernakulam-Guruvayur route, a male passenger noticed he had received a women’s free ticket and alerted the conductor, who promptly replaced it with a regular ticket. Witnessing this, another male passenger checked his own ticket and discovered that he too had been issued a “Zero Value Ticket.” Suspecting foul play, he filed a complaint after getting off the bus.
Although the complaint was received in the afternoon, officials reportedly inspected the conductor’s cash bag only later in the evening, discovering an unexplained excess of ₹185.
In a separate case involving a KSRTC bus from the Ponnani depot to Palakkad, eight male interstate tourists were allegedly issued women’s free travel tickets. Following an official inspection, the conductor was suspended.
Staff Shortages Hampering Enforcement
The alleged fraud has also highlighted severe manpower shortages within KSRTC’s inspection system.
According to available figures, KSRTC requires 789 ticket inspectors, but only 311 are currently in service. Similarly, against a sanctioned strength of 310 Station Masters, only 210 posts are filled.
The shortage has further worsened oversight, as inspectors are often required to perform the duties of Station Masters in depots where those posts remain vacant, in addition to investigating passenger complaints. As a result, reports indicate that fewer than 150 inspectors are effectively available to conduct routine onboard ticket inspections across the state’s bus network.
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