Taking cue from the Indian Railways, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will be installing bio-toilets in many of its long-distance buses in the coming months. The waste generated from these toilets will be converted into manure and sold.
The KSRTC has a fleet strength of over 8,400 buses, and 1,000 of these are high-end that are used mainly for long-distance travel. “We are in talks with companies such as Scania, Volvo, and Mercedes to install bio-toilets in the buses they provide. We are yet to decide the routes in which this facility will be provided,” said Rajender Kumar Kataria, Managing Director, KSRTC.
As of now, five buses plying from Bengaluru airport to Mysuru are fitted with normal toilets. “The problem with these buses is maintenance. We do not have space in Mysuru to clean it. Besides, we cannot stop and clear toilets during every trip, as it is a waste of time and money,” said a KSRTC official. Mr. Kataria said the waste generated from the toilets will be converted into manure with the help of micro-organisms. “This will be sold to those who approach us. We met railway officials to learn how bio-toilets function,” said Mr. Kataria.
The KSRTC has maintained that the financial burden of introducing bio-toilets will not reflect on the ticket prices. “We will have to remove one or two rows to fix the toilet. This will help diabetics, who have to visit the toilet frequently. A lot of time will be saved as we will not have to stop in between,” added the official.
E-wallet, ETMs to be introduced
The KSRTC will be introducing e-wallets and hand-held Electronic Ticket Machines (ETMs) with card swiping facility in buses soon.
“Passengers can recharge their e-wallets and book tickets through them. Refund upon cancellation will also be done through the same medium,” said a KSRTC official, who added that nearly 55 per cent of ticket booking is done online.
Besides, conductors will also be given ETMs that will be connected to the main server via bluetooth provided for the vehicle tracking system or GPRS. “Through this, tickets can be booked. This will solve the problem of handling cash, and passengers can also travel light,” said the official.
