KSRTC to roll out low-cost Janata AC services from September 18

KSRTC to roll out low-cost AC bus services b/w districts. First phase: Kollam-Kottarakkara-Thiruvananthapuram. Min. ticket fare Rs.20, slightly higher than fast services. Return journey starts at 5pm from Thampanoor. Hub & spoke model, mini-feeder services for 1st-mile connectivity. Response to decide extension to other districts.

The Kerala State Road Transport Transportation (KSRTC) is all set to roll out district-to-district Janata bus services from Monday, offering low-cost low-floor AC bus services to people in the State. In the first phase, the low-floor AC bus services would be pressed in service between Kollam and Kottarakkara units to Thiruvananthapuram.

Targeting office-goers, the service is arranged in such a way that it helps the office-goers reach the Capital before office time. At the beginning, the service will start from the Kollam and Kottarakkara units at 7.15 a.m. and reach Thiruvananthapuram at 9.30 a.m. The passengers who reach the capital city by the Janata services will be given rides on city feeder services at low ticket fares to reach their destination inside the city.

The minimum ticket fare for the Janata services is Rs. 20. The ticket fares will be slightly higher than KSRTC fast services, but lower than the fares of the superfast buses. For every additional kilometer, the non-AC super fast ticket fare of 108 paise would be charged. The Janata services which reach the capital city at 9.30 a.m. from Kollam and Kottarakkara units will return by 10 a.m. and reach Kollam and Kottarakkara by 12 p.m., respectively.

These services will again leave for Thiruvananthapuram by 2.20 p.m. and reach the capital city at 4.30 p.m. In the return direction, the service will begin at 5 pm from Thampanoor, connecting the offices at Vazhuthacaud, Statue, Pattam (Medical College - Kollam Bus) Kesavadasapuram and end the service at 7.15 pm. at the respective destination These buses will have stoppages at all the stops of KSRTC fast buses.

Modelled on the lines of the hub and spoke model, services will be arranged for Janata AC buses with each depot as hubs, major bus stations as regional hubs, and Angamaly bus station as a central hub. Mini-feeder services will provide first-mile connectivity to connect passengers to bus routes. Ordinary buses connecting such routes with hubs (depots) will ferry the passengers at regular intervals.

District-to-district services from one district to the next district will be run by connecting regional hubs (major district central depots) with each other. Based on the response from the passengers, the service will be extended to other districts. In case the response is mixed, the low-cost AC buses would be replaced with non-AC low-floor buses, according to a release from the KSRTC.