By News18
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has finally started receiving new buses after a long gap of six years. On July 2, Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar took the wheel for a trial run of one of the newly arrived Tata Super Fast buses. He later shared a video of the drive on Facebook, highlighting the long-awaited upgrade to KSRTC鈥檚 fleet.
鈥淣ew buses were promised and they鈥檝e arrived. Took a trial run of the newly purchased Super Fast and Fast Passenger buses. I have already given a few suggestions to the concerned officials. Minor tweaks will be made and the remaining buses will arrive soon. These buses come equipped with the latest technology and better passenger comfort. Comfortable journeys are not far away,鈥 Kerala鈥檚 Transport Minister Kumar wrote on Facebook.
Check his post here:
As per Mathrubhumi, the new buses are built on Tata chassis, while the bodywork is handled by ACGL (Automobile Corporation of Goa Ltd). The first batch includes both Fast Passenger and Super Fast buses. Though the design is similar, the two categories can be told apart by the different colours on the front.
The temporary registration details show that the bus bodies were made in Goa.
KSRTC recently confirmed an order of 143 new buses, with advance payments already made. According to the minister, 80 buses are part of the first phase now being delivered, 60 Super Fast and 20 Fast Passenger. The remaining 63 are reportedly expected within three months.
Mathrubhumi also states that KSRTC is purchasing these buses from major Indian manufacturers like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and Eicher. The state government has allocated Rs 107 crore for the project and Rs 62 crore has already been released, including Rs 22.9 crore as advance payments to manufacturers.
Furthermore, Ashok Leyland has received orders for premium buses: 8 AC sleeper, 10 AC sleeper-cum-seater and 8 AC semi-sleeper models. For regular routes, KSRTC is also buying 37 smaller buses, including 9-meter models for use in towns and rural areas.
It marks the first time since 2018鈥攚hen 100 diesel buses were added鈥攖hat new buses are being inducted directly into the KSRTC fleet. Until now, under the second Pinarayi Vijayan government, reportedly 434 buses had been procured, but they were handed over to KSRTC鈥檚 subsidiary, SWIFT. The latest additions signal a long-overdue boost to KSRTC鈥檚 operations.