The New Indian Express 29.07.2010
Coming soon: More KSRTC city services
KOCHI: Gaining confidence from the tremendous response given by Kochiites to the city bus service, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will soon roll out five more Volvo low-floor AC buses in the city. The new buses are being rolled out under the City Transportation Project funded by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme. With this new service, the total number of AC Volvo buses in the city will be 18.
Sources with Volvo said five Volvo B7RLE city buses were ready at the assembling plant at Bangalore. “Apart from that we have got a production order from KSRTC for 10 more buses,” sources said.
The total number of buses, including AC low-floor, non AC semi-low-floor, and minibuses that were sanctioned under the City Transportation Project for Kochi is 200. Already 13 Volvo AC buses and nine non-AC semi-low-floor Leyland buses are plying on city roads.
Special officer for JNNURM projects, KSRTC, Sharaf Mohammed said the new set of Volvo buses would be delivered by the first week of August. “Most likely these buses would be allotted to Kochi city. We have to apply for route permits after the delivery and only then we can decide the date of commencement of the new service,” Sharaf Mohammed said.
He hopes the new buses can be rolled out before Onam. The state-owned RTC had recently introduced Thiru Kochi bus service in the city under which 50 buses are plying in the city. The Thiru Kochi services are also receiving tremendous response.
