KSRTC’s idling buses hobble city’s transport system
The Hindu
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With almost the entire fleet of low-floor AC buses operated from the Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation’s (KURTC) Thevara depot and a vast number of ordinary buses operated by Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) remaining grounded during the past 18 months, the public transport system in Kochi city and suburban towns has gone for a toss.
The KURTC, a subsidiary of the KSRTC, has been repeatedly citing the excuse of possible low footfall if the AC buses operated within the city and to the suburban towns, although AC luxury and inter-State buses resumed operations a few months ago. A bulk of Tirukochi and other ordinary services too have not resumed service, forcing commuters to rely on two, three and four wheelers for travel. Over 100 such buses that were parked at the Ernakulam bus stand are in a state of disrepair.
However, KSRTC sources said most of them were among the 900 buses that would be scrapped across Kerala in the coming months. “Altogether, 116 new buses will be simultaneously added to the RTC's fleet, while the rest will be availed on dry lease,” they said, without committing on when low-floor AC buses would resume service.
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