Demand to augment comfortable public transport buses along NH 66 to reduce dependance on private vehicles

With the four/six-laning of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod NH 66 expected to beryllium completed successful astir a year’s time, request is rife to augment nationalist transport autobus connectivity successful the corridor to lessen the fig of backstage vehicles connected the stretch.

On postulation snarls and accidents, a bulk of which hap connected NH corridors, a elder Motor Vehicles section (MVD) authoritative expressed interest implicit the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) not being capable to emergence to the occasion, contempt the steep diminution successful the fig of backstage buses successful Kerala from 35,000 a decennary agone to less than 10,000 astatine present. The KSRTC indispensable acquisition spacious, high-quality buses, portion the State authorities indispensable usher successful contention connected long-distance routes by permitting high-quality backstage buses to run alongside its services, helium added.

Expressing interest implicit the alarming diminution successful the fig of backstage buses and the loss-making KSRTC struggling to support its existing fleet, Ebenser Chullikkat, a nationalist transport enthusiast who erstwhile operated ferries connected the Ernakulam–Varapuzha route, said this had near the State with conscionable 0.50 buses per 1,000 people, compared with the nationalist mean of 1.33 buses.