Is it a mini train? No, it's the lone vestibule bus in Kerala

Puthoor: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has introduced a vestibule bus service in the Thiruvananthapuram-Kottarakkara route.

A vestibule bus is an extended bus linking together two sections with pivoting joints for higher passenger capacity, providing it the look of a mini train.

Similar to a train, it also has an interconnecting passageway that helps passengers move from one compartment to another.

Currently, this is the only vestibule bus in service in Kerala. Starting its service from the Peroorkada depot, the bus comes to Thampanoor before reaching Kottarakkara.

At 5:30am and 2pm, the bus has services from Thampanoor to Kottarakkara and on its return leg, leaves at 8am and 5pm. The fare is same as a fast passenger, with a Thampanoor-Kottarakkara ticket being charged Rs 78. The service commenced from September 14.

The current route is chosen on an experimental basis, according authorities. Since the coronavirus pandemic is still raging, the earnings from the bus are not on the expected lines, they said. They believe that once pandemic subsides, the earrings will increase.

The bus has a seating capacity of 60, including that of the conductor. The drivers have been given special training to control the long bus. The vestibule bus service was first launched in the state in 2011 at Peroorkada. It came as a successor of double-decker buses.