Kochi: The extension of Kochi 1 Card to more private buses is in trouble with the bus operators protesting against the service charge of Rs 150 levied by Axis Bank for each day from them. Out of the 1000 bus operators only 80 have joined it now while only 20 are actually using it.
“We are not saying that we want to dissociate from the Kochi 1 Card. But we want the service charge to come down by at least half. It is calculated `150 for buses having a collection of Rs 10,000 for a day which includes GST. However, for printing a day’s ticket we have to spend Rs 50-70 and we want the service charge to come down to that level,” said Suneer K.V., secretary, Ernakulam District Private Bus Owners Federation.
KMRL is implementing the card for seamless travel in the city joining metro trains with the city buses in the first phase. The commuters will be provided a discount of five per cent in ticketing charges upon using the prepaid cards. The Axis Bank, which is assisting the KMRL in the initiative, has procured 500 specially-made ticketing machines for the purpose.
The one-month discount offer, provided on the occasion of extending usage of the card to private bus platform, ended on April three. The total sales of the cards touched the 30, 000-mark by April 3 from 26,000 a month ago.
Nizar Karukapadath, of the ‘My Metro Bus Services LLP’, one of the seven companies formed by private bus operators in the city for the operation of the Kochi 1 Card, said that in the long run Kochi 1 Card will be useful for the operators.
“This is an era when we should move to technology-assisted platforms. Since Axis Bank has been selected for the scheme, all should stick with them,” he said.
“Televisions that have provision for ads will be set up in the buses and such revenue generation will offset the initial extra spend on service charge,” he said.
