Bengaluru, 13 August 2026: Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has revised the way it classifies cases involving irregularities in the issue of free tickets to women under the Shakti scheme.
The revised order, issued on July 24, 2026, will come into force from August 1, 2026. It modifies the existing General Standing Order No. 818/2023 dated June 7, 2023, which governs cases involving irregularities by conductors while issuing zero-fare tickets to eligible Karnataka women passengers.
Excess Tickets and Non-Issuance to Attract Different Classifications
Under the revised rules, KSRTC will classify cases according to the number of free tickets issued in excess of the actual number of women passengers travelling.
For ordinary, city and express services, the classification will be:
- Up to 3 excess tickets: General Case
- 4 to 5 excess tickets: Red Mark Case (RMC)
- 6 or more excess tickets: Extraordinary Red Mark Case (ORMC)
The corporation has also introduced different thresholds for cases where eligible Karnataka women passengers are not issued free tickets.
For buses carrying more than 50 passengers, failure to issue up to three eligible tickets will be treated as a General Case. Failure to issue four or five tickets will attract an RMC, while failure to issue six or more will be classified as an ORMC.
For buses carrying fewer than 50 passengers, even one ticket not issued will be treated as a General Case. Two such tickets will attract an RMC, while three or more will be classified as an ORMC.
Rules Also Cover Male and Other-State Women Passengers
The revised order also addresses cases where free or pink tickets are issued outside the prescribed conditions.
If a conductor issues a women's free ticket to a male passenger, the case will be considered under the existing rules, taking the applicable passenger fare into account.
Similarly, if a free women's ticket is issued to a woman from another State, the case will be classified as a Red Mark Case or Extraordinary Red Mark Case, depending on the circumstances and existing provisions. KSRTC has clarified that all other provisions of General Standing Order No. 818/2023 will remain unchanged.
The order, issued by K.B. Shivakumar, IAS, Managing Director, KSRTC, directs all concerned officials and staff to follow the revised instructions and prevent complaints relating to implementation of the Shakti scheme. The revised provisions will take effect from August 1, 2026.
Keywords
KSRTC, Shakti Scheme, Shakti free bus tickets, KSRTC Shakti rules, women free bus travel Karnataka, KSRTC ticket rules, RMC, ORMC, Karnataka transport news, Citizen News Puttur