THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: SRTC plans to lease premium air-conditioned buses to tap the lucrative interstate bus routes during festive seasons. A fleet of 63 luxury diesel-fuelled AC buses, heavily featuring sleeper and seater-cum-sleeper models, would be taken on wet-lease, according to sources.
The temporary fleet is being brought in on a six-month contract starting August 15, 2026, through January 31, 2027, precisely targeting the high-volume festive and pilgrimage seasons of Onam, Sabarimala, Christmas, and New Year. KSRTC has decided to return to the wet-lease model despite a similar experiment four years ago, drawing severe criticism from trade unions and ultimately resulting in heavy financial losses for the public utility.
Under the wet-lease arrangement, private operators will provide the vehicles, hire drivers, and manage complete maintenance, while KSRTC deploys its own conductors and handles all route scheduling and ticketing operations. According to senior officials, this model was strategically chosen to rapidly scale up premium operations without exhausting the cash-strapped utility’s capital on new bus procurement.
To avoid the past pitfalls that led to frequent breakdowns and routine schedule cancellations under the earlier lease contracts, KSRTC is setting a tight entry bar for private participants this time.
“Only vehicles under five years of age with pristine maintenance records, fully cleared by the motor vehicles department (MVD), will be inducted into the fleet,” the official said.
Under the agreed arrangement, KSRTC will keep 100% of the passenger and commercial luggage revenues, guaranteeing the private partners a minimum operational run of 3,000 kilometres per month per bus to keep the deal financially viable for both sides.
The temporary induction comes at a time when the corporation has not made major purchases. It currently operates an active fleet of 4,468 buses consisting of one express, 295 super fast, 992 fast passenger, and 2,617 ordinary buses.
The highlight of the upcoming roll-out is KSRTC’s direct play for the premium long-distance routes to Bengaluru, Chennai, and Mysuru, which are currently dominated by private multi-axle operators.
The corporation is bringing in 10 pure AC sleepers, including top-of-the-line 15-metre multi-axle sleeper coaches boasting 42 berths, alongside 13 AC seater-cum-sleeper hybrid models and 40 standard AC seaters.
Operating schedules will run up to 18 hours a day, and KSRTC has drafted an exceptionally strict internal penalty framework to ensure passenger reliability. Under these new service guidelines, operators face a `1,000 fine for late arrivals at dispatch points, a `2,500 penalty for mechanical breakdowns that cause trip cancellations, and a steep `1,000-per-day fine if a vehicle damaged in an accident is not repaired and put back on the road within 48 hours.