Amenities at the newly-formed Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation’s (KURTC) base unit at Thevara will be inaugurated on April 12 by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Transport Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will be present. The bus station has parking space for buses procured under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), besides a workshop and office complex on the land owned by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
The KURTC is a subsidiary of the KSRTC.
KSRTC’s CMD Antony Chacko said the operational efficiency of buses would be higher since the KURTC would be using infrastructure available with the KSRTC. “The KURTC owns only the fleet of buses that it operates, but without paying the KSRTC for it. The agency will pay the KSRTC rent for land and parking space, cost of fuel, workshop expenses and salary for bus crew,” he said.
On low and semi-low floor buses procured for Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi under the JNNURM scheme operating trips to suburban towns and also inter-district services, Mr. Chacko said the services were a hit with commuters and had been reaping sound revenue.
Another 400 buses are slated to be handed over to 12 other districts of the State. Some of them will operate to other districts, thus catering to whopping demand from commuters for quality public transport between neighbouring districts.
