KOCHI: ‘Yatra Fuels’, the direct fuel outlet chain of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), is not only helping the public entity earn a considerable non-operative revenue but also spared it an additional burden of Rs 215 crore towards fuel expense in the past two years.
Major oil companies have been selling diesel to KSRTC, the lone bulk fuel purchaser in the state, at a higher price than the market rate since December 2021. KSRTC uses 270 to 300 kilolitres (KL) of diesel a day to operate 12 lakh km of services.
“We could increase the share of diesel from ‘Yatra Fuels’ outlets to 250 KL per day. This has resulted in the corporation saving Rs 215 crore additional burden till date. The amount, difference in diesel prices (retail price vs bulk purchaser price), would have to be otherwise paid to the oil companies,” said a senior KSRTC official.
There is also a rise in fuel sales to the public through the existing ‘Yatra Fuels’ outlets. The average daily sales have now touched 73 KL.
“We could sell fuel worth Rs 554.95 crore till August, which also resulted in a dealer commission of Rs 16.50 crore,” he said.
The KSRTC now has fuel outlets in Thiruvananthapuram, Kilimanoor, Chadayamangalam, Cherthala, Munnar, Chalakudy, Muvattupuzha, Kozhikode, Guruvayur, Thrissur, Paravur and Mavelikkara in association with the Indian Oil Corporation, and at the Vikas Bhavan depot in Thiruvananthapuram in association the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.
The RTC now plans to become a leading player in the fuel supply sector by launching a series of additional Yatra Fuels outlets. It aims to operate 50 Yatra Fuels outlets by the end of this financial year. The corporation already has 72 pumps across the 93 depots in the state.
“We’ll immediately start 10 more fuel stations. The one at Perumbavoor will be launched on October 18. The more Yatra Fuel outlets we start, the more fuel we could avail for lesser rates,” the official said.
CNG route
KSRTC will speed up the process of converting the existing fleet into CNG buses.
“It would cost I10 lakh to convert a single bus from diesel engine to CNG. However, we have decided to go for the greener fuel as and when we receive the necessary funds,” said an official.