The crisis-ridden Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is facing another enemy of sorts in the capital city – private bus operators. Private buses have been ‘stealing’ routes set aside for the KSRTC, forcing the public utility to lodge complaints with the police.
Following an inspection on Saturday evening, the Traffic Police booked 25 private buses for violating their permits. The inspection was conducted on the basis of a complaint filed by the KSRTC’s vigilance wing. The Traffic Police found that most of the buses were operating on routes earmarked for the KSRTC.
Many were tweaking their original schedules and running on what they considered were more profitable routes. The private operators who were booked on Saturday were slapped with fines and warned.
‘’Many of the private bus operators do not run their full schedule. For instance, a bus plying the Pongummoodu-Thiruvallom route ends its service at East Fort and returns. Private bus operators fight shy of the unprofitable routes. We’ve taken up this issue with the RTO on many occasions,’’ said KSRTC chief traffic manager and executive director (operations) K M Irshad.
On the other hand, there are also complaints that the KSRTC itself has been cutting down city services, especially in the evening hours. Though the KSRTC has denied such reports, the complaints have been mounting ever since the diesel price crisis.
Source: New Indian Express
