KOCHI: Taking a cue from the spurt in revenue during Onam season, KSRTC Ernakulam zone is planning to conduct special services during Pooja holidays as well. A majority of the special services will be to destinations in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.Speaking to Express, Ernakulam zonal chief traffic controller of KSRTC S K Sureshkumar said even though the exact number of buses for the special service during Pooja holidays have not been fixed, almost the same number of buses operated during Onam will be pressed into service this time too.
“The maximum number of buses will be operated during Pooja holidays from all the depots under Ernakulam zone. During Onam, there was a big rush to Coimbatore, Bengaluru and north Kerala. The same number of buses will be operated during Pooja holidays. Employees will be doing additional duties and buses undergoing repair in garages will also be utilised for this purpose.”
Onam is one of the most revenue generating seasons for the KSRTC Ernakulam zone. The special services operated from August 31 to September 13 generated a record revenue for the zone. As many as 666 services were operated from various depots in the district and it garnered a revenue of Rs 18.86 crore. Last season, the collection stood at Rs 17.29 crore.
“This Onam season, we had an excess collection of Rs 1. 56 crore compared to the previous year. Each day, we had an average collection of around Rs 1.2 crore each. On a few days, we could collect as much as Rs 1.8 crore each,” Sureshkumar said.The exorbitant ticket rates of private buses and the paucity of railway tickets are the reasons behind the windfall for KSRTC. “Super Fast and Super Deluxe buses would be operated on the Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Mysuru routes. A detailed directive in this regard will be given by the Managing Director of KSRTC in a couple of days,” an officer said.