THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar has announced 58 additional inter-state KSRTC bus services to cater to the demand of passengers during the Onam season. These bus services are intended for passengers travelling from Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Chennai. The Onam special service will be operational from September 9 to 23.
The minister said KSRTC will operate more services if there is increased booking on a particular route. The decision was made after the government noticed that private bus operators had raised fares during the festive season. “Unlike private bus operators, KSRTC will not charge additional fares during the Onam season. There will be bus services from all major depots as well,” said Ganesh Kumar.
Additionally, KSRTC operates over 90 regular inter-state bus services every day. Alongside KSRTC, the Karnataka RTC has also decided to operate 21 additional services during the season. Last year, KSRTC collected nearly `71 crore during the Onam season, with the highest single-day collection being Rs 8.48 crore.
However, the inter-state private bus operators said that only a few operators have increased the fare.
“A small number of operators take permits during the season to capitalise on the increased demand. It is only a part of the business to raise prices slightly when there is more demand,” said a bus operator.