THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major regulatory overhaul to curb reckless driving, overspeeding, and cut-throat competition among buses, the State Transport Authority (STA) has finalised a rollout plan to enforce mandatory, GPS-monitored time gaps between stage carriage trips starting November 1.
Under the new system, buses — private and KSRTC — on the same route must maintain a strict minimum interval — 5 minutes in urban limits and 10 minutes along rural stretches — preventing drivers from tailgating or racing to ‘steal’ passengers. Onboard satellite-linked GPS hardware will track real-time locations through apps and other digital platforms and dynamically enforce these departure and stop-by-stop intervals. Currently, there are around 7,000 private and 4,468 KSRTC buses plying on state roads.
TNIE has learned that Regional Transport Authorities (RTAs) across the state have already begun an exhaustive data-gathering drive — collecting trip schedules from both private operators and the KSRTC to feed into a central digital scheduling platform. “RTAs have been directed to compile all active route timings immediately,” a senior official told TNIE.
“The software requires every existing trip log, both private and KSRTC, so the algorithm can map out safe, realistic intervals before the November 1 launch,” the official said.
The transition intends to eliminate physical meetings between officials and operators on timings within three months, replacing them with digital platforms like KERALA BUSZ or BusTIME. The system will provide live tracking for commuters and precise stop-by-stop hold timings for drivers, eliminating fatal accidents caused by route racing. “If there is a sufficient gap between services and realistic running time, buses can be operated smoothly,” said Hamsa Erikunnan, general secretary of the Kerala State Bus Operators Federation.
‘Proper gap mgmt will reduce accidents’
“Proper gap management will optimise fuel use, lower maintenance costs, and reduce road accidents,” Hamsa said. Bus operators have long blamed RTAs’ unscientific policies of for route bunching, alleging that permits are issued without verifying existing trip intervals. While operators sought guidelines for fresh permits, STA made dynamic scheduling mandate applicable across all existing and new permits alike.
On KSRTC’s inclusion, officials maintained that no operator can be exempted if road safety is the goal. “KSRTC buses racing against private operators or running in bunches creates severe hazards. The dynamic time gap will apply to all,” an official said.
Private operators raised flaws with STA’s minimum time gap rule, noting that applying urban rules to routes that start in municipalities but predominantly cover rural panchayats will harm rural connectivity. “We are yet to fully understand the working of this proposal,” Hamsa noted. “For instance, with a 10-minute time gap in rural areas, only two services can operate in a 20-minute window. If a corridor has six or seven operational services during peak hours, what will happen to the remaining buses?” he said. Operators also fear that the move will eliminate face-to-face consultations, assigning slots purely on algorithmic availability.
Dismissing fears, an official clarified that the automated system is designed precisely to eliminate human bias. “Moving to a GPS-anchored, digital framework ensures absolute transparency based on road conditions rather than manual discretion,” the official added.
KSRTC argued against strict adherence to uniform time gap rules. “As a state transport undertaking operating under the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950, our public service mandates require scheduling flexibility,” an official said.