THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ill-fated KSRTC Volvo bus (KL 15 A 282), involved in the tragic accident that led to the loss of 19 lives, was held back in Bengaluru for a day to meet the demands of people going home on the extended weekend holiday.
The services of the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Volvo multi axle bus on both sides were cancelled, as there were fewer passengers on February 18.
V D Gireesh and V R Baiju, the driver-cum-cleaners of the bus who lost their lives alongside 18 passengers, would have taken the bus to Ernakulam on the morning of February 19, had the bus not been held back. “We cancel bus services if there are fewer passengers on both sides,” said a KSRTC officer in Bengaluru.
There was just one passenger to go to Ernakulam on February 18, he said. “Usually, if there are no more than five to six passengers, we cancel the service and accommodate them in another bus on the same route,” he explained. With the Shivarathri holiday falling on Friday, an extended weekend was made available, because of which all 48 seats of the bus were booked on Wednesday evening.
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are when KSRTC gets maximum passengers to Kerala. In the case of return trips, bookings pick up on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.