KSRTC list of ‘reliable’ services in the making

Kochi: Complaints of KSRTC bus trips getting cancelled at the last minute were frequent so far but not anymore. The chief office at Thiruvananthapuram has directed all the bus depots across the state to prepare a list of “reliable” services that would be in operation every day without fail.

“The cancellation of trips due to staff and bus shortages is common in many depots resulting in routine commuters deserting the service. Hence, the depots were directed to give a list of buses that they can operate on a daily basis without fail. The depot heads were also asked to ensure that these buses also maintain punctuality,” said a senior official.

For instance, the Thrissur depot has got 84 schedules. However, nearly 10 to 15 trips get cancelled on most days due to staff shortage. The depot has identified 69 schedules that it could operate daily without fail. Meanwhile, the management has entrusted depot heads to fix revenue collection targets for each of the buses so that the depot earnings touch the pre-determined figure.

“The Ernakulam station was asked to increase its daily collection from '12 lakh to '16 lakh. However, we have conveyed our inability due to the shortage of buses. Instead of the required 22 Fast Passengers, we’ve only 17 while there are only 15 Super Fast buses instead of 18. When asked they said the new buses could be deployed only at the end of the Sabarimala season,” a senior officer said.