THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Highlighting the government’s commitment to strengthening public transportation, Finance Minister K N Balagopal stated that the KSRTC receives an average of Rs 4 crore in daily financial support from the state. Over the past nine years, the government has allocated Rs 11,600 crore to support the sector.
“If there is no transport system in the public sector, the private sector transport system will also not be good,” said the minister after inaugurating ‘Transpo 2025’, jointly organised by KSRTC and the Motor Vehicles Department, in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. He said that the state government has been able to give a message that proves that KSRTC can move forward very actively.
He, however, reminded that KSRTC should use better roads and new buses properly to move forward profitably.
Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar, who presided over the event, announced that KSRTC aims to reduce its losses by 50% within the next three months through the use of AI-based scheduling software.
The software will optimise bus schedules to maximise revenue collection. The minister noted that KSRTC has already made progress in curbing losses over the past year - daily losses, which stood at `90 lakh on August 18 last year, have dropped to Rs 10 lakh as of the same date this year.
“We achieved this by operating fewer kilometres but carrying more passengers,” he said. He also added that the addition of 150 new buses is expected to boost daily revenue by Rs 50 lakh.
The three-day Transpo 2025 expo features a range of vehicles including cars, bikes, buses, and trucks, along with emerging transport technologies. KSRTC is showcasing its newly acquired buses at the event.