THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The KSRTC on Tuesday launched smart cards for cashless bus travel at Thampanoor. Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran also flagged off women’s special pink buses in the city. “The smart cards can be purchased from the cash counters of various KSRTC depots. The validity of the cards will be for one month and they can be topped up and reused,” the minister said. The cost of the travel will be deducted from the card using electronic-ticketing machines (ETMs) that have been provided in buses.
The basic bronze card worth Rs 1,000 can be used for travel via ordinary and limited stop ordinary services within a district. Silver card worth Rs 1,500, can be used for travelling anywhere in the state in limited stop ordinary and ordinary services. The gold card of Rs 3,000 for long-distance travellers can be used for travelling anywhere in fast and super fast buses. The premium blue card of Rs 5,000 can be used in all buses barring Scania.
The pink bus services launched on Tuesday will be women’s only buses. Though women’s only trips are run sometimes in the city, the new buses will carry women throughout the day. KSRTC MD MG Rajamanickam and MLA V.S. Sivakumar were present at the function held at Thampanoor.
