A total of 77 low-floor AC Volvo buses that have been idling at KURTC’s Thevara depot here, despite demand for such buses increasing during the summer months.
Of these, 37 are fit to resume service. The remaining 40 are awaiting repairs or cannot be operated since the validity of their fitness certificates has expired. Among them, many buses cannot be operated unless crucial spare parts and batteries arrive, it is learnt.
They are in addition to over a dozen non-AC low floor buses which too are remaining under-utilised, although most offices and businesses are getting back to normal, resulting in increasing patronage for private buses and the few KSRTC buses that are operating.
Crew training
The CMD of KSRTC, Biju Prabhakar, said that bus crew were being imparted technical and behavioural training so that all the 190 AC low-floor buses could be operated in the coming weeks.
“Their training began on March 18. Our plan is to operate them in highways, arterial roads and in trunk routes, depending on demand.”
Suburban routes
Official sources said that intra-district low-floor AC buses which operated from the city to suburban towns enjoyed good patronage - especially in the Muvattupuzha, Piravom, and Fort Kochi routes.
After all, the fleet of low floor AC and non-AC buses were procured under the JNNURM scheme using Central funds and were originally intended to improve the quality of commuting within the city.
In Kochi, most suburban towns are part of the Greater Kochi area.
There was also demand and regular commuters, in the Ernakulam-Cherthala route, relied on mostly by office goers and others, they said.
GPS crucial
Stakeholders associated with their operation expressed dismay at why the low-floor and other premium buses of KSRTC were not being tracked live, over a decade since Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled low-floor buses were introduced.
“The GPS gadgets are available for as low as ₹500 and have been deployed even to track shared bicycles that were introduced earlier this month in Kochi by KMRL, CSML and MYBYK. The GPS-based tracking will help commuters get to know the exact location of each bus, while the KSRTC control room can take steps to prevent bunching of services, by rescheduling their timetable, if necessary,” they said.