KOCHI: The colour red has been historically synonymous with love and... the KSRTC. And that twain that binds the two may have inspired the state road transport corporation to come up with a plan to celebrate the festival of love -- Valentine’s Day.
Beyond being “all hat and no cattle”, it hopes to make this February 14 special, by facilitating a memorable trip for loved ones.
To tap into their desire for a quiet getaway, the corporation has organised a one-day trip from Koothattukulam in Ernakulam to Kollam. The trip was also planned as part of the depot’s 100th trip.
The journey will begin at 5.45 am from Koothattukulam stand. Travellers will be given a tour of tourist spots such as Munroe Island, Sambranikodi and a beach in Kollam. The ‘Valentine’s Day’ bus will return to Koothattukulam at 11 pm.
The fare for this special trip is Rs 1,070 per passenger and the corporation has arranged a 51-seater bus for the purpose.
Tour to include boat trips to Munroe Island
“We wanted to make the 100th trip a special one for the department. At the same time, we decided to make this memorable for passengers, too, who will cherish the day for a long time,” says Prasanth Velikakam, chief coordinator, budget tourism cell, Koothattukulam depot.
Last April, KSRTC conducted a trip as part of its budget tourism project from Koothattukulam to Anchuruly, Idukki.
Prasanth said the ‘Valentine’s Day’ tour will include boat trips to Munroe Island, which offers a leisurely experience of travelling through mangroves. Contrary to the department’s expectations of a largely younger crowd, most of the passengers who have booked tickets are middle-aged people. “Even though we announced the trip just a few days ago, it has been well received. Interestingly, elderly people and even entire families will be part of the tour,” Prasanth added. The budget tourism project has garnered the KSRTC nearly Rs 50 lakh in revenue from Koothattukulam depot alone.
“Most of our trips are to locations inaccessible to tourist buses. Trips to Gavi, Mamalakandam, and other such forested areas have a large number of takers. We have arranged a trip to Gavi on February 22 and 27,” Prasanth said. For booking, people can contact 9447223121.