Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) implemented a crew-change system in its long-distance services from Tuesday. The new system will ensure that a driver would not drive for more than eight hours on a single stretch. The drivers would get adequate rest after their shift of eight hours, for which the corporation has made arrangements at its premises in Ernakulam, Palakkad, Thrissur and Sultan Bathery.
To begin with, the crew change system will become operational on Thiruvananthapuram-Bengaluru; Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru, Pathanamthitta-Bengaluru and Kottayam-Bengaluru services. KSRTC chairman and managing director Biju Prabhakar said that more such crew changes will be introduced in other services too.
The new system is expected to bring much relief as most drivers have to drive for long hours, especially when there are delays due to traffic blocks on roads and other unforeseen reasons. The system is also expected to reduce the stress on drivers who are handling long-distance drives.
The continuous work hours were also resulting in road accidents. In the latest incident, a super deluxe bus from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode met with an accident near Ernakulam early on Monday morning, in which the driver was killed.
Under the new system, the bus, drivers and conductors will be a part of different depots. Though a driver-cum-conductor system was considered earlier in KSRTC to address the shortage of drivers and conductors and thus optimise available resources, some of them had approached the court against this and obtained a favourable verdict.
However, on the basis of the verdict, it was decided to reschedule the working hours of all drivers and conductors. As part of this, the crew change system is being implemented in KSRTC buses.