Arguments with bus conductors over the tendering of change are common during bus journeys, but they might become a thing of the past if things fall into place for KSRTC this time. Soon, you should be able to travel on KSRTC buses without worrying about tendering the exact fare in cash. Minister K B Ganesh Kumar recently said that in the next six months, the corporation is planning many updated facilities for passengers like cashless travel, GPS location updates, updation of service timings, and mobile apps to give details on seat availability, routes and online reservations. This is in addition to the air-conditioned and sleeper buses they are planning to roll out soon. Interestingly, KSRTC had attempted to introduce cashless travel many times in the past through pre-paid smart cards and even UPI platforms, but passengers say the facility was often inefficient due to faulty devices, poor internet speed and other roadblocks.
New designs in the pipeline
The upcoming super fast premium AC buses will have a ‘cinematic’ design by National Award winner art director Sabu Cyril. He will be designing these buses in response to a request from minister K B Ganesh Kumar. He had previously designed buses for the Corporation when Ganesh Kumar first became Transport Minister in 2001. Sabu Cyril, an award-winning art director, is known for his work on Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Enthiran (2010), and Main Hoon Na (2004). Currently, one bus is running as a Super Fast Premium AC on a trial basis. Based on its reception, KSRTC plans to purchase ten new buses and commence operations ahead of Onam. Passengers on the trial bus are given feedback forms to record their suggestions, and adjustments will be made accordingly. The AC bus operates with 42 seats. Meanwhile, KSRTC is also set to purchase 220 mini buses to operate limited-stop services.
