KOLLAM: In a bid to provide cost-effective air-conditioned bus travel to the public, the KSRTC’s ‘Janatha’ service will be launched in the district on Monday. The service will be flagged off by Mayor Prasanna Earnest at the KSRTC bus station. In the first phase, the service will be launched from Kollam and Kottarakkara to Thiruvananthapuram.
The bus service has been scheduled to mainly benefit office goers. Low-floor AC buses will be used for the service. The minimum ticket rate starts from Rs 20. The fare will be a bit higher than the Fast category and less than the Super Fast category. For every additional kilometre, `1.08 will be charged, which is almost the same slab of non-AC Super Fast.
Janatha service buses will start from the Kollam and Kottarakkara units at 7.15am and reach Thiruvananthapuram at 9.30am. The buses will begin the return journey from Thiruvananthapuram at 10am and reach Kollam and Kottarakkara at 12 noon. The buses will begin the second trip from Kollam and Kottarakkara at 2.20pm and reach Thiruvananthapuram at 4.30pm.
The buses will begin the return journey at 5pm from Thampanoor and reach their respective destinations at 7.15pm. Mini feeder services would ensure that the passengers are able to reach the bus stations and routes from various places. Ordinary buses will be deployed for the purpose at frequent intervals.
If the service is successful, more such Janatha buses will be launched linking neighbouring districts. If non-profitable, KSRTC will convert it into a non-AC service.
