Kochi: It was on the request of the Kochi Metro authorities that the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) started 21 new schedules from Edapally and Aluva Metro stations from June 19. However, the initial trend has disappointed the Corporation which is now set to stop the new services other than those operated through nationalised routes. The feeder services are being operated using new low-floor buses from Paravur, Aluva, Kothamangalam, Perumbavur and Thevara depots.
“Though the Metro authorities had promised decent commuter patronage, the revenue collection of trips like that to Kalamassery Medical College and the ones through Container Road are yielding only '4,000 even as the strict direction to all depots across the state is that no trips with less than Rs 10,000 daily collection should be operated,” a senior official said.
The corporation, though, would continue to operate the services to destinations like Angamaly, Paravur, Perumbavur and Vytilla among others. “We will continue to operate them besides the last bus services from Edapally and Aluva. In shorter routes like Kalamassery Medical College, the deployment of big chassis buses is not profitable. We don’t have the small buses like 30 seaters.
“The buses will be sent to the metro stations but the services will be operated only if a minimum quota of passengers avail the service,” the KSRTC officer said. A KMRL official said the feeder buses have low patronage since most of the commuters now are joyriders and arrive in own private vehicles. “We expect a change in the scenario when the metro trains will be extended to the city and a major share of commuters will be regular passengers. We've also approached private bus operators to conduct the feeder services in shorter routes to provide last-mile connectivity to passengers,” he said.
