The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which has been making giant strides in international air passenger handling over the years, has become a cash cow for the Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) by helping it meet the operational expenses in a big way.
The low-floor air-conditioned buses rolled by the KURTC to the Nedumbassery airport from various parts of the State are now generating a steady income that helps the KURTC tide over its financial difficulties to some extend.
The KURTC services connecting the Malabar region with the airport have been earning record revenues, with the services turning out to be a big hit among air passengers there.
Besides, uncertainty over the timely completion of the runway renovation work at the Calicut airport, for which the service of wide-bodied aircraft was shifted to Kochi from Calicut, has prompted passengers board flights from Nedumbassery.
The KURTC service from Malappuram to the Nedumbassery airport was launched in June 2015 under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) as part of improving urban transportation, which generated revenues of over Rs 1.5 crore in less than eight months. Speaking to ‘Express,’ KURTC-Malappuram coordinator Joshy John said the Malappuram-Nedumbassery service was the most popular among the KURTC services.
The KURTC also provides online booking facility, 30 days prior to the journey date, for 46 low-floor buses that connect various places in Kerala. According to officials, booking for Nedumbassery-bound buses often gets closed within a few days after the reservation opens. “As many as 30 services are operated from the KURTC-Ernakulam station to Nedumbassery every day, while the number of schedules from Malabar is 11. Since Malabar has a large Diaspora settled in Middle East countries, services from the region are always fully packed.
Air passengers from Malabar would have to pay anything between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,500 if they take cab to the Nedumbassery airport. By opting for the KURTC’s low-floor bus service, meanwhile, they can reach the airport by paying just Rs 240,” said KURTC officials, adding that the customer care centre gets a large number of calls from abroad to know the timing of buses, especially whenever there is any change in flight schedules.
“We customise timing of the bus services starting from the airport according to changes in flight timings,” they added. Currently, each KURTC bus conducting service to the airport adds Rs 30,000-40,000 to the cash-strapped corporation’s coffers every day.
News : The New Indian Express
