Thiruvananthapuram, June 16 -- The scheme offering free rides for women and transgender persons in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, a key promise of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and a first such proposal in the state, rolled out on Monday with Chief Minister VD Satheesan underlining that it would have a profound effect on the social and financial conditions of lakhs of working women.

Named 'Priyadarsini', after former prime minister Indira Gandhi, the scheme in its current pilot stage offers women and transgender persons free rides in the KSRTC's 'ordinary' class of buses. Such buses, numbering around 3,100 across the state, ply on short-distance routes within major cities or between towns.

One of...