Twenty-four of the total 77 low-floor AC buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) that were idling at the agency’s Thevara depot have been handed over to depots in suburban towns and to depots in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta.
Another 16 buses are operable, while the rest need major repairs by the Volvo dealer. A few low-floor buses have already resumed service through NH 66 and MC Road, as Bypass Rider services, official sources said.
Decision to scrap
The KSRTC had attracted widespread criticism as a few dozen of its total 190 low-floor AC buses were abandoned in Thevara and a couple of other depots to be sold as scrap. Sources in the agency said the low-floor buses can easily run 20 lakh km or more without encountering engine trouble. The buses slated for scrapping had not operated so many kilometres, pointing to slack upkeep.
Interestingly, a considerable number of even regular buses of KSRTC are not operating from its Ernakulam depot, despite almost all private buses resuming service after the pandemic. “Only 50 out of the total 80 services from the depot are operating due to driver shortage,” the sources said. Still, the agency has not roped in empanelled drivers to operate the remaining 30 buses.
Empanelled crew
“Even trade unions are not bothered about the plight of empanelled crew, whose services were discontinued by KSRTC over a year ago. This has resulted in the agency operating only about 3,200 of its total 6,000-odd buses. It has in turn added to the work pressure of drivers in the regular payroll who are most often unable to take leave,” said an empanelled driver who is now without an alternative source of income.
