The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has come to aid of of commuters when train services got disrupted in the State for three days due to incessant rain. Flights were also diverted to Thiruvananthapuram international airport following the closure of the Cochin international airport during the period.
The KSRTC operated various classes of buses from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod via NH and M.C. corridors to the relief of the commuters.
Helpdesks set up at the bus terminal at Thampanoor in the capital and Thiruvananthapuram international airport came in handy for passengers who arrived in trains and flights for the weekend and Bakrid. For these operations, the KSRTC deployed buses from even minor depots.
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Super Fast services were available every 15 minutes via Kottayam and Alappuzha to Ernakulam and Chill services plied from Thiruvananthapuram via Kottayam and Alappuzha to Ernakulam.
Services using the Scania, Volvo and air-conditioned low floor KURTC buses were operated from Thiruvananthapuram international airport to Ernakulam, Palakkad and Kozhikode. The operating crew and other personnel worked in tandem to ensure that passengers reach their homes at the earliest.
Till 5 p.m. on Saturday, the KSRTC operated 1,911 services from Thiruvananthapuram, 1,307 from Ernakulam and 538 from Kozhikode. With train services getting disrupted, the KSRTC was the only mode of transport for the commuters.
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On Saturday alone, the KSRTC operated 3,837 buses that covered 14.01 lakh km in the State and on the inter-State route. In the Bengalaru sector, the KSRTC operated 30 buses from key destinations in the State. The KSRTC received ₹5.24 crore from the fleet that operated on Saturday.
“The KSRTC operates 17.80 lakh km daily and earns a revenue of over ₹6 crore from the fleet normally. The reduced km and earnings on Saturday is due to the floods. Even the interior and far-flung areas were catered to. Services were not provided to Wayanad and Nilambur due to rain-related calamities,’’ a senior KSRTC official said.
The electric buses in the fleet was also used effectively. The operations that has come in for praise once again displayed the social commitment of the public sector transport undertaking.
The KSRTC officials heaved a sigh of relief with the resumption of train services, though not fully across the State, on Sunday and opening of the Cochin airport by 12 noon. Less crowd was seen at Thampanoor bus terminal, the hub of KSRTC operations.