Kerala State Road Transport Corporation to pull out Rs 1000 prepaid card citing loss

Kochi: Within a month of introducing travel cards, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is all set to withdraw the Rs 1000 prepaid card. The reason – the unlimited travel offer for travelers is causing a loss to the corporation. “We’ve got instruction to stop issuing Rs 1000 card, however, the other denomination pre-paid cards -- silver card (Rs 1500), gold card (Rs 3000) and premium cards ('5000), will continue to be available to commuters.

The corporation rolled out the four types of prepaid cards on January 25 last as a means to woo more commuters and avoid the “change issue”. “The Rs 1000 cardholder can have unlimited travel for one month. Those daily travelling over 60 kms daily stand to benefit as it exceeds the Rs 1000 upon calculating the total distance travelled by him/ her,” the official said. For instance, a cardholder travelling from Madavana to Angamaly in Ordinary spends Rs 64 for to and fro travel.

Upon him travelling for 25 days, the actual amount he is liable to pay is Rs 1600, resulting in Rs 600 loss to the corporation. Another reason is there is demand for only the Rs 1000 and Rs 1500 cards and not for the higher denomination ones. The corporation plans to introduce cards smart cards similar to that in Metro trains which automatically deducts ticket rate and shows balance amount by next month. “Then commuters can approach conductors for recharge of the cards,” the official said.