THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Air passengers could reclaim the loss on their tickets if they miss their flight due to a delay by KSRTC’s new bus service. The offer could be part of the ‘airport smart bus’ service which will connect airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Karipur with the city centre. The service will begin its trial run from the first week of July.
“The bus routes are yet to be fixed; it will depend on the demands of the passengers,” said Pradeep Kumar, mechanical engineer, KSRTC. “The Corporation is planning to provide compensation to passengers if they miss their flight due to a delay in bus service, once the service becomes popular, ” he said. Currently, passengers have to depend primarily on cab services to and from the airport. However, with the launch of smart bus services, travelling from the airport to railway and bus stations will become easy.
The service will be operated with rented buses during the one-month pilot phase. An agreement has been signed with Force Motors by the Corporation for the trial run. Similar to electric bus service, the driver and bus will be provided by Force Motors, while the conductor and fuel will be provided by KSRTC.
The smart bus will be available from the entrance of the airport and it will be scheduled as per the flight time. The service will also be available at night. The AC 21-seater will include check-in facility.