THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ill-fated KSRTC Volvo bus (KL 15 A 282) involved in the accident that led to the loss of 21 lives was held back in Bengaluru for a day to meet the demands of people going home on an extended weekend holiday. The services of Ernakulam-Bengaluru Volvo multi-axle bus on both sides were cancelled as there were fewer passengers on February 18.
VD Gireesh and VR Biju, the driver-cum-drivers of the bus who lost their lives along 18 passengers would have taken the bus to Ernakulam on February 19 morning if the bus was not held back.
"We cancel bus service if there are fewer passengers on both sides." said a KSRTC officer in Bengaluru. According to him, there was just one passenger to go to Ernakulam on February 18. If there are only 5 to 6 passengers we cancel the service and accommodate them in other buses in the same route. All the 48 seats of the bus involved in the accident was full on Wednesday evening due to Sivarathri holiday on Friday.
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are when KSRTC gets maximum passengers to Kerala. The return trip picks up on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.
The accident has not resulted in any booking cancellations so far. KSRTC has introduced 14 additional buses to meet the holiday demand. All the buses have got full booking, said the officer. Passengers booked for Thursday's trip have made enquiries if there was any change in service following the accident, said the officer.