KOCHI: In an effort to curb the financial crisis, KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) has decided to collaborate with various departments including Supplyco, Kudumbashree, Horticorp and jails to sell their products. The Corporation has approached Motor Vehicle Department seeking permission to convert its stage carriers into food truck/grocery shop.
According to officials, revenue from ticket sales is no help for KSRTC, which was already struggling to keep its nose above the water. “We have around 30,000 employees. It has been over a month since KSRTC conducted service in Thiruvananthapuram. The lockdown restrictions are pulling us deeper into debt. So, we decided to come up with ways to bring in some revenue,” said the official.
The official added that an application has been sent to the MVD. “We hope we get the food truck licence very soon. We have around 24 depots in the district and our plan is to convert at least one bus from each depot. We will be choosing only ageing buses nearing expiration. We normally scrap these vehicles. We are yet to allocate buses for the grocery service,” said the official.
KSRTC is planning to tie up with Supplyco for grocery supplies. “People are struggling to get grocery in containment zones. Once the project is rolled out, the public will be able to buy groceries from us. We are also in touch with Horticorp and Kudumbashree,” said the official, adding that they are only waiting for the green signal from MVD. “We have decided to tie up with the Jail department too. . There are plans to sell Kudumbashree products also,”the official said.