The recent High Court order may have sounded the end of the profitable inter-district AC low-floor services, but the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation may retain all these ‘hit’ schedules by deploying fast and superfast buses.
“We stopped running the low-floor AC buses by Friday in the wake of the High Court order restraining the operation of JnNURM-funded buses outside the city. However, enquiries are pouring in from passengers for services like the one to Nilambur. We’re thinking of running fast and superfast services and restore the schedules,” said a senior KSRTC official.
The AC low-floor services were conducted to Kozhikode, Nilambur, Kottayam, Pala and Thiruvananthapuram from the Ernakulam depot and to Ernakulam from the Thiruvananthapuram depot.
“Because of the fare difference, we don’t expect the same revenue but there are few buses plying to destinations like Nilambur right now,” the official said.
On the last day of its service on Friday, the Ernakulam-Nilambur low-floor service raked in over Rs 42, 000 while the Ernakulam-Kozhikode realised Rs 77, 000 as revenue. Meanwhile, the ‘inter-district’ low-floor buses would start operating city services from Monday.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
