Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Transport Minister C P John on Monday said the government would appoint an official committee to examine whether the Priyadarshani free travel scheme for women in KSRTC ordinary buses has affected the financial viability of private bus services.

The minister said the committee would identify routes, if any, where private buses have suffered financial losses due to the scheme and submit its recommendations to the government.

John said the government considered private bus operators as "investors in the public transport sector" and would address their concerns.

He said the demands raised by the operators, including revision of student concession fares and timely rationalisation of ticket rates, would also be considered.

However, referring to reports that a section of private bus operators in Wayanad had unilaterally increased student concession fares, the minister said such a move was not proper.

Private bus operators in Kerala recently expressed strong concern over the state's newly launched free travel scheme for women in ordinary KSRTC buses, alleging that the government implemented it without consulting them and warning that it could severely affect their survival.

Representatives of private bus operators' organisations had said women constitute a substantial share of their daily passengers and that many have shifted to KSRTC services following the launch of the 'Priyadarshini' scheme on Monday.

The initiative was one of the Congress-led UDF's major election promises and aims to improve mobility, enhance access to education and employment, and reduce travel expenses for beneficiaries.

The government had maintained that the scheme is intended to provide financial relief to women while strengthening public transportation and had also indicated that measures would be taken to address concerns raised by the private bus sector.