C.P. John

Kerala Transport Minister C.P. John apologized for a controversial remark about women availing the free bus travel scheme, stating he should have been more cautious and aimed to highlight poverty in Kerala.

Kerala Transport Minister C.P. John faces backlash for suggesting some women were pretending to be poor to access free travel under the UDF government's Priyadarshini scheme. The remarks targeted women using the flagship scheme's free bus travel on KSRTC ordinary-class buses.

Kerala Transport Minister C.P. John warned that KSRTC staff will face action if free tickets are issued to men on Priyadarshini buses. The minister stated that KSRTC will hire private buses during festival seasons to address increased demand and noted that the corporation has not purchased new buses in the past decade, resulting in an outdated fleet.

A Kerala MVD officer was transferred after penalizing a police vehicle in Wadakkanchery. Transport Minister C.P. John described the enforcement action against the police vehicle as 'a little excessive.'

Kerala is set to unveil a new transport policy featuring a road safety mission and pre-licence driving education in higher secondary schools, as announced by Minister C.P. John.

Daily ridership of women passengers on KSRTC Ordinary buses in Kerala increased from 6.48 lakh to 12.12 lakh. The number of male passengers using these services has remained almost constant, indicating the rise in women ridership did not displace other passengers, according to C.P. John.

Kerala's Transport department is considering pre-licence training in schools for Plus Two students to issue licences by the time they turn 18. Discussions with the General Education department are planned to implement the proposal.

The Centre agrees to consider Kerala's request to strengthen transport services. Transport Minister C.P. John met with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi to discuss transport-related issues.

Transport Minister C.P. John described S. Anil Radhakrishnan, former Chief of Bureau of The Hindu, as emotionally neutral and factually strong.

Minister C.P. John highlighted the need to address drinking water shortages, sewage management, and power infrastructure upgrades to support Thiruvananthapuram’s growth. He noted a significant gap between drinking water demand and supply and emphasized the importance of expanding power substation capacity.

A community marine biodiversity online register has been launched. C.P. John proposed documenting traditional knowledge through audio files.

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will offer free bus travel for women on ordinary services for the first 100 days, with plans to expand to more services later. Finance Secretary is tasked with studying compensation for revenue loss caused by the scheme, as stated by Transport Minister C.P. John.