THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new independent company 'Swift' under KSRTC will start operations by mid-March. Eight sleeper AC buses named 'Gajaraja' will ply to Bangalore and Mysore. Six will ply to Bangalore and two to Mysore. Gajaraja was inspired from 'Aanavandi'. Semi-sleeper AC buses will continue to be called 'Garuda'. Apart from these, non-AC buses will also be there in two names. These have not been named so far. 'Swift' services aims to reduce the number of stops and reach the destination faster. The process of making appointments to the company is in progress.

In the first phase, there will be 100 buses. Later 16 more buses will be purchased. Different uniforms for employees are under consideration. Swift services will be operated on behalf of KSRTC. The aim is to allay the concerns of employees as to whether the importance of KSRTC will diminish with the advent of Swift. The ticket will be inspected by the KSRTC Inspector himself. In the first phase, 150 people will be appointed as driver cum conductors. They will be trained at the management institute

Food orders will be taken by the conductor

Passengers will be notified in advance of which hotels the buses will be stopped for dining. The order of food can be given to the conductor. The conductor will notify the hotel. The food will be ready when the bus gets there. It also saves time waiting for food to be ordered. Such hotels will also be renamed as KSRTC Refresh Centre. These hotels will also offer free welcome drinks to passengers.