The luxury bus procured for the travel of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Cabinet colleagues in connection with the month-long programme Navakerala Sadas in 2023 will soon be part of the fleet owned by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) for regular commutation of passengers.
As per initial reports, the bus will be pressed into service on the Thiruvananthapuram-Bengaluru route or the Kozhikode-Bengaluru route.
The work on rearranging the seats in the bus has been completed by a Karnataka-based automobile body-building outlet which had rolled out the Benz luxury bus. The paperwork has been completed, and once the stage carrier permit is issued by the Motor Vehicles department (MVD), the bus will commence services on the “most economically viable route” at special rates.
The bus, which was procured at a cost of ₹1.05 crore, had evoked public interest after the luxury associated with the bus came under political scrutiny and public criticism at a time when the State of Kerala and the public utility had been reeling under severe financial crises.
The interior of the Navakerala Sadas bus | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Although the interiors of the bus have been rearranged, the 25-seater bus is still equipped with a washroom and other features. Plus, there will be additional provisions to provide drinking water and snacks in the bus as per the latest policy of the corporation.
The KSRTC recently decided to provide refreshments such water and snacks on soon-to-be procured long-distance buses.
The ticket fare of the Navakerala Sadas bus will be decided soon, as the ticket fare in the bus will be slightly higher than other KSRTC buses on the route, said officials.
Exterior retained
Though the bus has undergone a revamp, its exterior has been retained, featuring various facets of Kerala, including the famous houseboats, popular temples, mosques, churches, Chinese fishing nets, and other art forms.
The funds for procuring the bus and its revamp was borne by the KSRTC.
