KSRTC urged to launch dedicated city bus fleet for Kochi

Mounting protests against KSRTC for delayed city bus services, withdrawal of buses, and autorickshaw issues in Kochi.

Protests are mounting as the KSRTC has not commenced dedicated city bus services and also the Vyttila-Menaka-Vyttila circular bus service it had mulled, despite repeated assurances in the past decade.

The reported move to withdraw the agency’s sole double-decker bus that operates on the Angamaly-Thoppumpady route too has been attracting considerable flak during the past couple of days on social media platforms. The city-based Janakeeya Anweshana Samithi has joined the bandwagon of NGOs and residents’ associations that have slammed the KSRTC for the inordinate delay in reintroducing city buses.

A fleet of over 100 Thirukochi buses that were launched over 15 years ago to lessen the number of private vehicles in the city, were diverted to suburban towns within a few years of their launch. This was followed by the withdrawal from service and the subsequent scrapping of a bulk of air-conditioned and non-airconditioned low-floor buses that were operated in the city, said T.N. Pratapan, general convenor of the Samithi.

Making matters worse, intra-city private buses are withdrawn from service at 8 p.m., leaving commuters at the mercy of autorickshaw drivers, most of whom reportedly fleece commuters. The KSRTC must step in by introducing a dedicated city bus fleet that operates up to midnight, while the police and the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) must ensure that all autorickshaws have functioning fare meters and do not fleece commuters. Steps must also be taken to reopen pre-paid autorickshaw counters at different locales, he added.

Responding to the all-round demand at ‘Janakeeya Sadas’ meetings that the MVD organised at the Sub Regional Transport Office (Sub RTO) level in different parts of Ernakulam, MVD sources said the KSRTC had immense potential to operate services on the city circular route and also from suburban towns to commercial hubs through road corridors which had inadequate public transport. “In addition, steps must be taken to roll out the 20 e-buses that the KSRTC had planned to introduce in the city, funded by Cochin Smart Mission Limited [CSML],” they added. Officials of both the KSRTC and CSML remained tight-lipped about the proposal.

However, KSRTC sources said the proposal to launch city services remained uncertain, mainly due to ‘shortage’ of buses and crew members. “Our focus is now on augmenting the fleet of long-distance buses,” they said and hastened to add that there was no move to withdraw the sole double-decker service.