The Mysuru division of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is laughing all the way to the bank as it earned a whopping sum of ₹2.51 crore on a single day, by renting out its buses.
The income that the KSRTC earned on December 31 last year is considered a record single-day earning. The New Year rush and a big jump in casual contracts (CCs – hiring buses) has made this possible. The rallies by the political parties in Mandya and Ramanagaram triggered demand for buses for carrying people to their destinations.
Also, the earning on January 1 because of a two-fold rise in operations because of the NY rush was ₹1.70 crore.
Last December, the school trips saw a big jump as 60-70 buses used to be booked almost every day on casual contract for excursions and study tours. There were days when the contracts used to cross 100. December brought a fortune to KSRTC.
Mysuru Divisional Controller Ashok Kumar told The Hindu that the revenue that the division earned on December 31 and January 1 was a record of sorts and this was possible with increase in casual contracts because of school trips and political rallies.
Another reason for the schools opting for KSRTC buses for their trips is the circular reportedly issued by the Department of Public Instruction for only hiring the KSRTC buses for their school trips.
“It appears compulsory now for the schools to hire only KSRTC buses. This is perhaps the key reason for the rise in casual contracts. Moreover, after a break of two years, the school trips are now being conducted since the pandemic had put a brake on excursions,” he said.
On December 31 alone, 300 buses were booked for rallies and 100 buses for school trips. “We had buses and did not face any hurdles in routine operations. Depending on the passenger density, the services were operated by minimising trips on routes that saw lesser traffic,” he said.
The KSRTC Mysuru division charges ₹40 a km for buses taken on casual contract with a minimum of 300 km. A 20 per cent refundable deposit on the total amount is charged from the organisers as a security deposit. The rates are competitive. “The organisers are assured of quality and hassle-free services with the advantage of KSRTC,” the officials said.
In fact, December saw a big surge in footfalls at Mysuru’s major tourist destinations and the reason attributed was the study tours organised for the students from various parts of the State. Unable to conduct study trips and excursions due to pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the schools and colleges in various parts of the State were organising education tours in a big way and Mysuru is obviously one of the places in the itinerary. The zoo alone had about 5,000-6,000 students almost every day. The tours were missing in the last two years due to the pandemic.
