Karnataka’s free bus travel scheme for students: Eligibility, benefits and challenges
The story so far: After assuming office as Chief Minister on June 3, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced a free bus travel scheme for
The story so far: After assuming office as Chief Minister on June 3, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced a free bus travel scheme for students across the State. The initiative will complement the existing Shakti scheme, one of the Congress government’s flagship guarantee programmes launched on June 11, 2023, which provides free travel for women, transgender persons and students on non-premium State-run buses operated by KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC. The new student bus pass scheme is aimed at benefiting all students — from school to college level. It is expected to particularly benefit male students, as female students are already eligible for free travel under the Shakti scheme. On June 12, 2026, the State Transport Department issued guidelines for the distribution of free passes to male students, formally extending the scheme’s benefits to them. With this move, both male and female students will be able to travel free of cost on buses operated by KSRTC, KKRTC, NWKRTC and BMTC. What is Karnataka’s new free bus travel scheme for students? Upon assuming office as Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar announced that all students in Karnataka would be allowed to travel free of cost on State-run non premium RTC buses across the State. The scheme is expected to benefit lakhs of students, particularly those in rural areas who rely on public transport every day to travel to nearby towns and cities for their education. Announcing the scheme on June 3, 2026, Mr. Shivakumar said, “This is the era of the youth. Students were asking why free bus travel was available only to girls. We are now providing free bus passes to all students. School and college students will be able to travel free of charge,” Mr. Shivakumar said.
What are the eligibility conditions? According to the guidelines issued by the State government, free bus passes will be provided to all students in Karnataka with effect from June 12, 2026. However, the existing eligibility norms governing student bus passes, including academic requirements, distance criteria and pass validity rules, will remain unchanged. Students can apply for the free pass online through the Seva Sindhu portal by submitting the required documents. Students who have already purchased bus passes for the current academic year can continue to use them. The government has stated that the amount paid for these passes will be refunded within 15 days. As of now, 19,792 students who had purchased passes by paying the prescribed fee are eligible for reimbursement. Who will the scheme cover? According to the guidelines, the scheme will benefit students residing in Karnataka even if they are pursuing their education in neighbouring States. It will also extend to students living in border areas outside Karnataka who attend educational institutions within the State. The government has also announced accident insurance coverage for all students issued free bus passes. Under the scheme, the State will bear a monthly insurance premium of ₹5 per student. In addition, a processing fee of ₹100 per pass will be paid by the government to the State-run transport corporations. What will be the financial impact of the scheme? The State government has estimated the annual expenditure on the free student travel scheme at ₹286.08 crore and has assured that the amount will be reimbursed to the four State-run transport corporations — KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC. However, transport officials have raised concerns over the financial implications of the scheme, pointing to delays in reimbursements under the existing Shakti Scheme.
The BriefWire