Kochi to get more buses-32 long distance KSRTC buses from Vyttila Mobility hub.

The KSRTC would ply 32 long-distance buses through the Vyttila mobility hub from Friday (January 6) night, the Minister for Transport V.S. Sivakumar said. Of them, 16 would travel northwards of Kochi, while the rest would travel southward.

Mr. Sivakumar was speaking here on Friday after inaugurating the KSRTC's station master office and the Motor Vehicle Department's Road Safety Cell at the Vyttila Mobility Hub. He said that Kochi would get a good share of the 1,000 buses that the RTC intends to add to the fleet in a month's time. The agency was able to record an increase of Rs. 7 crore in the income during the past seven months. Steps have been taken to confirm the appointment of 3500 temporary personnel in the organisation. The possibility of introducing online reservation is also being probed.

The function also saw the release of ‘time cards' that have timings of the 42 Volvo buses that the RTC operates in the city. Different organizations had demanded that the RTC operate night services, since there is no intra-city bus service in Kochi between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

In his address, Minister for Excise K. Babu said that road safety should become an area of focus since accidents are increasing at an alarming rate. Apart from basic safety measures, rule enforcement too must be strengthened.

Hibi Eden and Dominic Presentation, MLAs, demanded more bus services from the city to suburban towns and also adequate number of buses in the city at night.

The others who spoke include the managing director of Vyttila Mobility Hub Society M. Beena, the KSRTC's general manager G. Venugopal and Mayor Tony Chammany