KSRTC suspends courier service; new tenders to be invited soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has temporarily suspended its courier service, which had generated crores of rupees in non-ticket revenue for the corporation. The corporation has issued a notice to Andhra Pradesh-based Singu Solutions, which operated the service, asking it to discontinue operations. Courier bookings have been stopped following the suspension. KSRTC took the decision after receiving widespread complaints about poor service. A fresh tender is expected to be invited soon.

When the courier service was launched, it was operated under the direct supervision of KSRTC and generated good revenue for the corporation. Later, the operations were handed over to a private company to make the service more professional. However, the service reportedly declined after that. The private firm was awarded a five-year contract with a commission of 19.85 percent.

The company had promised to introduce pickup and doorstep delivery services to improve efficiency. However, except for a trial run, these services were not launched even after 11 months. As the billing software is owned by the private company, KSRTC is currently unable to access the actual collection figures. The courier service was one of the corporation's major sources of non-ticket revenue, but it has now come to a standstill. Employees say the service can perform better if KSRTC takes over its operations instead of outsourcing them to a private company.