Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar has directed the bus crew of the seven State Transport Corporations to treat women passengers who are eligible for free travel with respect and dignity.
He chaired a review meeting with senior officials of the Transport Department on Wednesday. Later, he said 173 crore tickets had been issued under the free travel scheme for women and the State government had compensated the STCs with the financial subsidy.
Mr. Sivasankar also instructed the officials to operate more buses during morning and evening hours on school routes so that students did not suffer from overcrowding and resort to footboard travelling. He also wanted the officials to explore commercial opportunities to increase the revenue of the STCs wherever possible.
The Minister also proposed to start WhatsApp groups for getting feedback from the commuters.
K. Gopal, Principal Secretary, Transport Department, wanted the installation of rooftop solar panels at bus depots to cut down on electricity cost and the revenue increased by renting the vacant land belonging to the department to private parties.
