NATPAC to study city entry of Goshree buses

About 200 buses from the isles terminate trips at High Court Junction now

The National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) has agreed in principle to conduct a study on permitting buses from Goshree islands into the city, close on the heels of the Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) making a request in this regard about a week ago. Around 200 buses, a bulk of them from North Paravur and Munambam, which ferry a total of over a lakh people from the islands and beyond into the city every day terminate their trips at High Court Junction now, since they are not permitted to operate in city routes. The commuters then have to take another bus or depend on other modes of transport to reach their destination, or the nearest Kochi metro station located two kilometres away at M.G. Road. “We requested NATPAC to conduct a survey-cum-study report, as part of steps being taken to ensure seamless commute in the city. The KMTA had prioritised the long-pending demand from islanders to permit buses from their region to operate to different parts of the city,” said Jafar Malik, CEO of KMTA.