Thiruvananthapuram: A majority of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation’s (KSRTC) much-publicised low-floor buses are out of action. As many as 42 high-cost buses have been abandoned at the Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) base at Thevara in Kochi.
Only a quarter of the original 56-bus fleet are in service in the city now. Though the buses could be pressed back into service with routine repairs, the corporation has not bothered to do so. More and more buses end up in the depot. The buses are worth more than Rs 40 crore.
The corporation had been buying spare parts from a private company in Bengaluru. The company has refused to sell the parts unless the corporation paid up in advance. The disrepair has thrown a spanner in the schedule of the KSRTC. The situation is likely to damage the other buses too because they are being driven overtime to make up for the buses which are out of action.
The corporation has only 14 buses to service in the city, whereas it had 56 buses originally. The corporation is cutting down on city service to introduce more long-distance buses.
The shortage of buses come at a time when more and more commuters rely on air-conditioned buses in the scorching summer. The KSRTC, however, is in no mood to cash in on the increasing demand.
Meanwhile, the buses are rusting away in the open at Thevara. The depot does not even have a garage to protect the vehicles from rain and shine.
The KURTC’s headquarters may have to be closed down unless the corporation immediately raises funds to get the buses back on the road.
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