The Kerala State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will induct 33 more electric buses into its fleet for city services in Thiruvananthapuram.
The buses procured under the Smart City project will be given to depots inside the City Corporation limits while others like buses funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) will be given to depots outside the Corporation limits. There would also be differences in the ticket fares of electric buses under the Smart City project and buses funded by KIIFB.
For instance, the public can travel in buses under the Smart City project at an economic fare of ₹10 to any point in the city circular route, while the KIIFB-funded buses will charge them ₹12 for a three-kilometre ride, the same fare as the ordinary fossil fuel-powered buses. Identifying the buses under various schemes would be the challenge of the public with the introduction of KIIFB-funded buses. A bus funded by KIIFB is procured at a cost of around ₹95 lakhs.
