Palakkad (Kerala) | A prominent transport industry body on Monday urged the newly elected UDF government in Kerala to reconsider its decision to offer free travel for women in state-run KSRTC buses, alleging that the move would severely affect the private sector.

The All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation said the decision, announced without consulting private bus operators, could destabilise the public transport network in the state and threaten the livelihood of lakhs of private bus employees.

State General Secretary of the organisation T Gopinathan termed the decision as "unilateral" and warned that the private bus industry could collapse if women commuters shifted entirely to KSRTC services.

"If women commuters are drawn away from private buses due to the free travel scheme, private operators may be left with only students as passengers. That would seriously affect the viability of our services," he told reporters.

He said the government should hold discussions with private bus operators before implementing such a major policy decision.

"The government's unilateral move to introduce free travel for women will weaken Kerala's public transport sector. The industry itself could disappear overnight if things move in this direction," Gopinathan alleged.

He also demanded that the government announce a special package for the private bus sector to offset the impact of the proposed scheme.

Free travel for women in KSRTC buses was among the five guarantees announced by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the campaign for the April 9 Assembly polls, in which the Congress-led UDF returned to power with a decisive majority.