The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is planning to introduce 20 new Thiru Kochi buses through the Goshree route in the coming days. According to officials with the Zonal office, a request has been sent to the Chief Office in Thiruvananthapuram requesting the authorities to deploy 20 more Thiru Kochi buses for Kochi city. The buses will be utilised to run services along the Goshree bridges. “The move comes in the wake of the recent High Court order giving the green signal to the KSRTC to operate 22 stage carriage services through the Goshree bridge immediately. We hope to get the buses soon,” Amvujash, Inspector with the Zonal office, Ernakulam, said.
The Ernakulam depot could not re-route the existing buses through the Goshree as the buses already have a heavy patronage within the city, he said.
Even though the KSRTC had received a valid permit to run buses through the Goshree route in 2011 private bus operators intervened stating that KSRTC had illegally received the permit and it was cancelled.
Despite the cancellation the KSRTC commenced operating services through the route owing to public demand. The Thiru Kochi buses started operations in Goshree last year. “We have approached the chief office stating that the current number of buses is insufficient and hence made a demand for the new buses,” the officials said.
The buses which will operate as shuttle buses are expected to be of service to the public in remote areas including Njarakkal, Elankunnapuzha, Cherai, Vypeen, Paravoor, Kodangaloor and Bolghatty. Pocket roads in these routes are also being identified to run services. “Since there are complaints that the current services do not keep people- friendly timings, we have decided to chart the timings of the new buses so that people can reach the High Court stop in time for office in the morning. Also, more services will be operated in the evening,” the officials said.
The application sent by the officials to provide more buses to Kochi was based on the KSRTC’s long pending promise that 100 new buses will be deployed to Ernakulam. However, the promise by the management still remains only on paper, the officials added.