Giving tough competition to their private counterparts, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is planning to introduce city circular service in Kozhikode. The planning and execution will be based on the Thiruvananthapuram-model circular service which has already become a reality with affordable ticketing and travelling options for commuters.
Though there was a plan for its launch several years ago in Kozhikode, it failed to work out following some technical issues and the lack of sufficient number of buses. Also, the opposition from some of the private bus operators reportedly delayed the project.
The main attraction of the city circular service will be the uninterrupted bus service connecting a number of prime locations within the city limits. A bus in every 15 minutes will be a boon to commuters. Passengers will have the option to buy travel cards. There will also be arrangements for cashless payment.
There will be a unique colour code for the buses included in the city circular services. The colour will be selected in such a way to denote the location it covers during the trip. To and fro trips will be arranged in a convenient manner for commuters to reduce their waiting time at various stops.
The route, locations to be connected and details of inter-change locations where commuters can change the route of their travel without any additional payment, will be finalised soon. KSRTC sources say that the Thiruvananthapuram-model service management will be adopted as such in Kozhikode after the trial service.
A special officer appointed by the KSRTC has already started the ground works to finalise the number of locations to be covered, details of routes, number of buses to be used and the schedule of workers. There will be a separate team of officers to coordinate the circular service and keep it a popular service among commuters with attractive travel offers.
