KSRTC to hire private buses for Sabarimala Season; Priyadarshini services likely to be suspended

PATHANAMTHITTA: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is planning to deploy private buses to increase transportation facilities during the Sabarimala pilgrimage season. The plan is to hire around 300 private buses from various depots across the state and operate them to Pampa. The e-tenders received are presently being examined.

The priority will be given to buses quoting the lowest rates per kilometre. The tenders were invited from owners willing to provide buses along with drivers. Vehicles less than eight years old, similar to tourist buses, are being considered.

The present decision is that devotees will not be charged any additional fare for travelling on the private buses. The same fares applicable to KSRTC services will be charged on the hired buses as well. Including air-conditioned buses is also being considered. However, a final decision has not yet been taken on matters including the terms and conditions of the contracts.

KSRTC moved to the tendering process following discussions with private bus owners. However, the response was not as expected. Further steps will be taken after completing the scrutiny of the tenders received.

There is a possibility that the Priyadarshini buses, which presently operate regular services to Pampa, will be kept out of service during the Sabarimala season. Considering the heavy rush at Pampa, KSRTC is giving more priority to Fast and Super-Fast services.

In previous years, KSRTC had purchased new buses ahead of the pilgrimage season. This year, the corporation is relying on private buses due to financial constraints on purchasing new vehicles and the age of its existing fleet. Several KSRTC buses are more than 16 years old.

Although the centre has a policy requiring public-sector vehicles that are more than 15 years old to be scrapped, KSRTC has retained the maximum operational lifespan of its buses at 20 years, considering the shortage of buses and its financial crisis. It is in this context that the corporation is moving to hire private buses to ensure that services do not get disrupted during the pilgrimage season.