Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday launched 40 non-air-conditioned sleeper buses named ‘Pallakki’ and 100 new ‘Sarige’ variant buses of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) at the Vidhana Soudha.
The addition of buses also includes eight prototype air-conditioned vehicles. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “In a bid to enhance public transportation and improve passenger services, the KSRTC will introduce 798 new buses this year. As a first step in this direction, 40 non-AC sleeper buses branded as Pallakki and 100 Karnataka Sarige buses are being launched.”
The KSRTC launched its non-air-conditioned sleeper buses in 2011, which remained unbranded until recently. The newly introduced non-air-conditioned sleeper buses are now branded as Pallakki, with the tagline ‘Happiness is travelling.’
“The Pallakki buses will operate on routes spanning various destinations across the State, originating from Bengaluru and other regions. These buses will serve destinations located more than 500 km away from the capital city, facilitating overnight journeys. Featuring ergonomically designed interiors, each bus offers 30 sleeper berths to ensure passengers a comfortable travel experience,” KSRTC managing director V. Anbu Kumar told The Hindu.
Features of new buses
The Pallakki bus, which is 11.3-metres long, is equipped with features such as mobile and laptop charging ports, a mobile holder, warm white LED reading lights, a public address system, audio speakers, a shoe rack beneath the lower berth, pillows for passengers, and a rear-view camera to aid the driver.
The Sarige buses measure 10.5 metres in length and are furnished with ergonomically designed seating for 50 passengers, plus one. These buses are equipped with a front dash camera and a rear-view camera, providing assistance to the driver. The bus also have essential features such as a fire detection and alarm system, vehicle location and tracking capabilities, and electronic vehicle stability control.
At present, the KSRTC runs 8,187 buses, covering an average distance of 26.89 lakh km daily and accommodating 32.28 lakh passengers per day.
Routes
The sleeper bus will connect various destinations from Bengaluru such as Belagavi via Hubballi, Dharwad, Horanadu via Chikkamagaluru, Gangavathi via Hosapete, Sagara via Shivamogga, Soraba, Puttur via Kukke Subrahmanya, Belthangady via Dharmasthala, and Kundapura via Mangaluru and Udupi; from Mangaluru to Thalikote via Ilakal, and Mantralaya via Ballari; Davangere to Mangaluru and Kalaburagi; and Shivamogga to Vijayapura.
Accident insurance relief scheme
Meanwhile, the KSRTC has also introduced a unique accident insurance relief scheme to provide financial stability to dependents of employees who lose their lives during duty or in off-duty accidents. Employees who become disabled in accidents will be provided insurance relief, according to the KSRTC.
“The KSRTC has implemented ₹50 lakh accident relife insurance scheme with United India Insurance and ₹50 lakh insurance scheme with SBI under corporate salary package,” a release stated.
On Saturday, Mr. Reddy distributed ₹1 crore accident relief amount to the dependents of four deceased employees of the corporation.
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