Kochi: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is turning more passenger-friendly. It is launching Bus on Demand (BOND), a new service that would drop you in front of your office. Moreover, all the co-passengers would be your colleagues or employees working in nearby offices.

BOND, which was introduced in view of the pandemic and successfully implemented in some districts, is set to benefit government and private sector employees in Ernakulam district also. Services would be available to and from any depot in the district, including Parvaur, Muvattupuzha, Perumbavoor, Kothamangalam, Piravom, Koothattukulam, Aluva, Angamaly and Ernakulam. The schedule of the services could be fixed by the passengers themselves. “If there are enough passengers, services can be arranged on routes such as Paravur - Collectorate, Muvattupuzha - High Court, Vypeen - M G Road, Ernakulam - Kakkanad, Vyttila - Infopark and others,” said V M Tajudeen, the District Transport Officer.

With the BOND service, KSRTC is targeting people travelling on bikes to their office and the corporation would provide free parking space for two-wheelers at the depots for passengers utilizing the service. The fare for BOND service is slightly higher than the normal fare, but cards for several days can be purchased at a discount. There is even a five-day pass for travellers who wish to check whether the service is convenient for them.

Enquiries regarding BOND service have to be made with the respective KSRTC depots. For more information, call 9495099908.

Advantages of BOND services

The new BOND service of KSRTC offers several facilities. The main one is that seats are ensured for each passenger. Another is that travellers can alight and board the buses in front of their offices. Advance ticket payments can be made for 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 days. Each bus will be totally sanitized and all passengers would get insurance coverage. Moreover, a special WhatsApp group will be created for the passengers of every BOND bus for updates.

Unlimited ordinary services

Meanwhile, KSRTC has also announced ‘Unlimited stop passenger services’ to shed its image of being reluctant to stop at the regular stops. The services, which would stop at any place on the route where the passenger wishes, were earlier successful in some southern districts. In Ernakulam, the experimental service is being introduced on Ernakulam - Arthungal and Chellanam - Kakknad routes. The service will enable passengers to alight and board the buses in front of their houses.

The following is the schedule of unlimited ordinary services:

5.45 am - Ernakulam - Arthungal (Via Thoppumpady, Kannamaly, Chellanam and Thaikkal)

8.05 am - Arthungal - High Court

11 am - High Court - Chellanam (via Menaka, Thoppumpady)

4.40 pm - Kakkanad - Chellanam (via Menaka, Thoppumpady)

6.45 pm - Chellanam - Ernakulam