KOCHI: A KSRTC bus carrying tourists on a budget tourism trip to Gavi broke down in a dense forest area nearly two weeks ago, leaving 38 passengers stranded for several hours. The passengers later lodged a complaint citing the poor condition of the bus and the unresponsive behaviour of the staff.
Now, the Budget Tourism Cell (BTC) staff will face the music upon such incidents that tarnish the image of the KSRTC’s prestige budget tourism initiative, which is filling the coffers of the loss-making entity. A circular issued by the Chief Traffic Officer (CTC) the other day gave five main guidelines to the BTC coordinators and warned of strict action if they fail to adhere to the same.
The condition of the buses should be inspected in advance and should be informed to the unit officer in writing if the same is not satisfactory. Similarly, if any hurdles happen during the tour, the control room and the district coordinator concerned should be immediately informed of the same. The BTC staff of the bus should seek necessary help and directives from the unit officers concerned or other KSRTC authorities.
“Under no circumstances should there be a situation where the tourists directly lodge complaints with the unit officers and other KSRTC authorities. The BTC staff should pacify the commuters and behave politely with them and make them understand of the situation and the action taken,” the circular reads.
“Now, a record number of budget tourism trips are being conducted from nearly 60 depots across the state. There is good feedback from visitors with regard to a majority of the services, especially those operated by depots like Chalakudy.
However, it has come to the notice that recently a few news tarnishing the image of the corporation has appeared in the media. A close scrutiny of the same revealed that the same have arisen due to the staff concerned lacking tact and diplomacy. It’s the responsibility of the trip coordinators concerned to deal with the situation tactfully and pacify the commuters,” said a senior official, explaining the action.
As per the circular, the other guidelines to the BTC staff, especially trip coordinators, include briefing the bus staff in detail about each trip, the place to stop for food, and other things, all in advance. If there arises a situation where the authorities are forced to deploy any staff other than the BTC coordinators as trip coordinator, then only those who can behave politely and handle situations tactfully should be deployed.
“Strict disciplinary action will be taken against those BTC staff responsible, if trips are operated by violating the guidelines and incidents tarnishing the image of the corporation arises,” the CTC said.
Left stranded
On April 17, a KSRTC bus carrying 38 tourists from Chadayamangalam to Gavi broke down in a forested area near Moozhiyar, leaving passengers stranded for several hours. Finally a replacement bus was sent, but it also developed technical glitch