Kochi: The instances of passengers arguing with conductors of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) over stops and time schedules are frequent. Not any more!
All super-class and long haul Fast Passenger buses would soon have route maps, fare charts and time schedules displayed inside them for the benefit of passengers.
“We’ve kick-started the exercise. The respective depots have started pasting the same inside buses as per a direction issued by the Managing Direct-or,” said a senior KSRTC official. Already the list of demand services from each depot were compiled and collected for the purpose.
For instance, a total of 43 buses were identified from Ernakulam depot.
This after it was decided to deploy the same bus and crew in a particular route rather than shuffling. The crew will be responsible for increasing the revenue collection by cutting the fuel and maintenance expense and also by catering to more passengers.
Meanwhile, the corporation is in the process of purchasing 7000 modern Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) which will facilitate live updation of ticketing status, enabling booking of tickets through smart phones (barcode reader), Smart card and Paytm.
“The trial of the new ETM was held in the Thiruvananthapuram-Ponmudi route early this month which was a success. Three companies have taken part in the same. We’ll float the tenders soon,” the official said.
The new EVMs would also help the corporation introduce smart systems, including a mobile app. Passengers waiting at bus stands could track arrival of buses and also reserve seats through the proposed app. Real-time upd-ation of ticket sales by linking the ticketing ma-chines with the KSRTC server was another component. It could ensure that there was no manipulation in ticket sales.
