Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has decided to purchase 700 new buses for the operation of services under K-SWIFT. In the wake of surging fuel prices, KSRTC is planning to buy CNG buses, instead of diesel engine powered buses.
700 CNG buses will be bought for the K-SWIFT services. By this, the services of 700 fast passengers of KSRTC will be cancelled and accorded to the K-SWIFT services. The KSRTC buses which removed from services will be then deployed for ordinary services. The corporation will reorganize the staff for conducting new services. KSRTC has estimated to spend a minimum of Rs 455 crore on purchasing the buses. KIIFB will grant the amount under an interest rate of 4 per cent. The decision to buy new buses surfaced in the cabinet meeting convened on Wednesday.
The decision to shift to CNG buses has been taken in a circumstance in which a lion’s share of the KSRTC’s revenue is being spent on its diesel expenses. By deploying CNG buses, KSRTC aims to improve the revenue by lowering the expense. KSRTC bought 116 buses in 2022 for K-SWIFT. By the induction of new buses, the ratio between the employees and buses will decrease along with the fuel expenses, said transport minister Antony Raju.
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