BENGALURU: Buoyed by the growing patronage for its luxury 'Flybus' operations that directly connect the Kempe Gowda International Airport with a few cities in South India, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will increase its services to Mysuru shortly. With services to Tirupati launched last week and that to Kozhikode being contemplated, this first-of-its kind amenity in the country looks set to expand its footprint.
Launched in 2013 with the first bus running between KIA and Mysuru on August 14, services run to Mysuru, Madikeri, Kundapur, Coimbatore via Salem and Tirupati presently. Eight high-end buses, which have in-built toilets, run 16 round trips (onward and return) between Mysuru and the Bengaluru airport.
BT Prabhakar Reddy, Divisional Controller, Bengaluru Central Division, KSRTC, told The New Indian Express, "The four-hour trip from Mysuru to KIA is quite popular among passengers. Since it does not enter inside the City, the traffic problems faced by Bengalureans are avoided."
Due to the demand, KSRTC has decided to add two more buses along this route by October. "This will help us run four more round trips daily," he said.The cost of a ticket on these multi-axle 46-seater buses to Mysuru is Rs 800.
In the first quarter of this financial year, over 76,000 passengers have hopped on board these hi-end buses helping KSRTC earn good profits, the Divisional Controller said. Over 2 lakh passengers availed the services during the financial year 2017-2018 (see box).
SR Uma Shankar, Managing Director, KSRTC, says, "Flybus was the first such venture to connect cities directly to an airport to ensure easy access for passengers. We were earmarked space by the airport authorities to facilitate the operations."
Recalling the slow start, Shankar said just 8,676 passengers used it during the first (financial) year after operations began. "It began as a loss-making route but picked up pace quickly and became a profit-making route from the subsequent year."