A Metropolitan Transport Authority will be set up in major cities to provide unified command and control systems for transport planning, scheduling operations, and integrating various modes of transport operating in these towns.
As a pilot project, the Integrated Public Transport Policy will be introduced in the Metropolitan Transport Authority of Kochi in 2017-18. Announcing this in his customary address to the Assembly on Thursday, Governor P. Sathasivam said a Kerala Metropolitan Authority Bill, 2017, was under the consideration of the government.
Commercial operations of the Kochi Metro Rail project would commence in 2017-18. A ₹2,577.25-crore new line from the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to Kakkanad was under consideration. The process of selecting the general consultant for the Kochi Water Metro project was in progress.
The KSRTC would introduce 250 CNG buses in the cities and electric buses in the cities of Kozhikode, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram. Pink bus services would be extended to all major stations and tourism-based services would be introduced. GPS-based smart card, a Vehicle Tracking and Passenger Information System, would be launched as part of the efforts to turnaround the KSRTC this year.
RFID would be introduced in motor vehicle check-posts, speed camera surveillance system would be extended and GPS-based vehicle tracking system would be extended to cover public transport vehicles, including contract carriages, EIB and tipper lorries.
The government would introduce an extensive capacity building programme for driving school instructors. The Intelligent Transport System with digitised time schedule for stage carriers would enhance quality of public transportation.
More solar-powered vessels would be launched by the Water Transport Department. In addition, one cruise vessel and two water taxis would be put into service on experimental basis. The dock yards in Alappuzha and Ernakulam would be renovated.
