The Hindu 23.09.2009
Meet soon to sort out luxury bus operational issues
Staff Reporter
KOCHI: A special meeting to sort out the operational issues of the proposed premium bus service for the city will be convened soon.
This was decided at the meeting of the government officials concerned in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
The Kochi Corporation had earlier rejected the routes proposed by the Kerala State Transport Corporation for the low-floor AC and non-AC buses for the Kochi city.
The buses are to be bought with the support of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. A meeting involving the civic administrators will be convened to iron out the issues including the routes. The operational issues including the refuelling facility, annual maintenance contract of the buses, the bus crew, the parking bays and also the repair facilities were discussed at the meeting, officials said.
The authorities are seeking the option of entering into an agreement with the oil companies in Kochi for supplying fuel.
The existing fuel refilling stations of the KSRTC will not be sufficient to meet the demands of the new luxury buses.
The identification of parking lots is another issue that is awaiting an answer as the new buses, which are bigger than the ones used by the KSRTC, need more parking space.
The existing facilities of the KSRTC would be insufficient. The authorities are exploring the possibility of identifying new parking lots in places owned by the KSRTC, including its yard at Thevara, officials said. The meeting was convened by the Principal Secretary to the Local Administration Department.
