The government is exploring the possibility of roping in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to operate contract carriage services with a view to checking the misuse of inter-State services by all India tourist omnibus (AITOB) operators.
For the KSRTC to operate inter-State services to and from key cities of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra to Kerala, it has to procure the Licensed Agent for Public Transport (LAPT) licence from the Regional Transport Authority.
A high-level meeting convened by Principal Secretary of Transport K.R. Jyothilal here the other day, on the directive of Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran, discussed the issue of KSRTC taking the LAPT licence.
The KSRTC being a stage carrier in the public sector, the proposal under consideration is to rope in a franchise/firm by signing an agreement to issue the tickets for contract carriage services after securing the LAPT licence. “The KSRTC will take a call on it in the coming days after considering all aspects,” official sources told The Hindu.
For the KSRTC, the new guidelines issued by the Transport Department to secure the LAPT licence in the wake of the Vytilla incident will not be a hurdle as it has already the facilities and norms spelled out. The cash-strapped KSRTC could rope in the 300 Volvo buses of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation lying idle in Bengalaru for the contract carriage services, sources said.
The move comes in the wake of protests brewing up in the State over the crackdown on the services through Operation Night Riders. The government is also aware that the ongoing crackdown will come in for brickbats from travellers.
Of the 365 omnibuses being operated daily from the adjoining States to Kerala, the MVD has found that 70% of them are from Bengalaru. Roping in the KSRTC will also help the government to end the monopoly of private operators, ensure good service and check fare hike.
While a stage carriage permit holder picks passengers from one point and there can be various stages till the final destination, a contract carriage vehicle on the other hand carries passengers for hire or reward and is engaged under a contract.