Withdrawal of KSRTC Bus Hits Travellers
KOCHI: Dealing a blow to commuters in the outskirts of the city, the KSRTC has withdrawn its lone service in the Ernakulam-Puthuvype-Lighthouse-Kakkanad route, allegedly under pressure from private bus operators.
According tao officials of the KSRTC, bus number RNM-232 has stopped plying on the route, after its permit was cancelled.
The service has been suspended for the last two days.
“All the Thirukochi services along the Goshree route are being operated using temporary permits, since the private bus operators filed a petition in the High Court against us. In their argument, the operators stated that the KSRTC buses were plying on routes which were dominated by private buses, which had been affecting their income.
“However, we are operating buses on temporary permits sanctioned by the Motor Vehicles Department,” said a KSRTC official.
“The High Court, however, has only asked us to operate our buses in such a way that it does not affect the private bus services, at the same time benefiting the public. We will seek the renewal of the permit for this service, after ensuring that our timings do not clash with those of the private buses. Based on this, we will resume the suspended Ernakulam-Lighthouse service,” he added.
The bus, which operates four services every day, generates a collection of Rs 6,000-8,000. The bus operates from Ernakulam Boat Jetty to High Court Junction via Njarackal-LNG
Terminal-Kadappuram-Lighthouse-High Court-Kaloor-Kakkanad.
The service was convenient mainly for employees as it provided a direct link to the outskirts of the city. Currently, there are 20 Thirukochi services operating on the Goshree route.