Thiruvananthapuram: The KSRTC-SWIFT bus, which was flagged off by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, met with an accident during its first trip.
The bus which started from Thiruvananthapuram on Monday was heading towards Kozhikode.
The K-SWIFT bus collided with a lorry at Kallambalam in the capital city. The side mirror of the brand new bus was smashed and the front side of the vehicle has retained a few damages. The service was resumed after the side mirror was replaced at a nearby workshop.
Meanwhile, KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director Biju Prabhakar alleged that the accident was part of a foul play by private parties. He stated that he'd file a complaint with the DGP to examine this.
"New KSRTC buses have met with accidents in the past as well. We need to examine whether a private lobby is behind this," he said.
The buses run by KSRTC-SWIFT, the new wing of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) exclusively for long-distance services, were launched on Monday (April 11).
On the first day the KSRTC-SWIFT operated four AC sleeper buses to Bengaluru from Thiruvananthapuram after 5.30 pm while six bypass rider bus services were flagged off from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode, Mananthavady and Kannur after 6 pm.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flagged off the inaugural KSRTC-SWIFT service at the central bus depot at Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram. Transport minister Antony Raju who presided over the function will also flag off the return services of four AC sleeper buses from Bengaluru at 5.30 pm on April 12. All tickets for Kerala were completely booked within hours of the launch of booking services.