Kozhikode: The new fleet of eight low-floor KSRTC buses, including seven AC buses, will start plying in the city from Friday.
Nine more buses would be introduced later which would reduce the traffic jams in the city, according to KSRTC officials.
Minister for Urban Affairs and Welfare of Minorities Manjalamkuzhy Ali would flag off the fleet at 5 p.m. at Muthalakkulam.
The fare for AC buses is double that of the ordinary buses. KSRTC zonal officer Muhammed Safarulla told Deccan Chronicle that car users could switch over to low-floor buses.
“We will cover important places, including NIT, IIM, Medical College, Civil Station, Calicut University, railway station and airport,” he said.
“In an era of global warming, we also plan to organize awareness programmes among passengers about the need to avoid cars and opt for public transport system,” he added.
The buses would start operations from KSRTC depot at Pavangad. Initially the services would cover Beypore, Elathur, Mukkam, Balussery, Tirur, Palakkad and Vazhikkadavu in Malappuram district.
Implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Kozhikode cluster of KSRTC which consists of Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts would get 100 low-floor buses of which 30 would be AC. Around 50 buses would operate in the district alone.
