KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) had deployed AC low-floor buses on long–distance routes as part of its attempt to make services profitable. The experiment was initially a success but the onset of the monsoon drew a cold response from commuters.
In addition to the rains, and because of it, the condition of the roads went bad and it meant the buses had to bear the brunt. The corporation has incurred heavy expenses for the replacement of the Volvo bus spare parts.
“There was a poor response from commuters during the rainy season. The daily collection of AC low-floor buses dipped to Rs 20-25000 from Rs 35-40,000 earlier,” said Muhammed Sherrif, KSRTC Special officer in charge (JnNURM).
All this has now forced the corporation to think about renting the buses for film shooting and marriages. “Earlier there was a restriction on the low-floor buses being rented out.
The department had not entertained requests from other districts to rent out the buses. Now there are no such conditions. Wide publicity will be given about the availability of the Volvo buses,” another senior KSRTC official said.
The rental rates are fixed on the basis of purpose and the kilometers run. “The corporation is working out an internal target for Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram depots for the purpose,” the official said
