KSRTC resumes bus services between Mangaluru-Kasargod

The State Road Transport Corporations of Karnataka and Kerala have resumed inter-state bus services between Mangaluru and Kasargod from Monday.

Passenger bus services between Karnataka and Kerala remained suspended for eight months following the Covid-19 pandemic since mid -March. Local residents had echoed concerns that the suspension of the regular buses had affected their employment and commercial activities in both the districts. The people from border areas were dependent on the neighbouring states for their livelihood. Inspite of the envisaging of the Unlock 4 and 5, the bus services had not resumed.

Following uproar from the daily commuters, KSRTC buses used to drop passengers at the border area of Talapady since September. Passengers bound for either direction had to get down at Talapady and board the bus of another State to reach their destination, which had caused a lot of inconveniences to the children and senior citizens along with daily commuters. From Monday, both Karnataka SRTC and Kerala SRTC resumed services between Kasargod and Mangaluru by deploying 20 buses each. Both corporations are expected to have 120 single trips each per day, said KSRTC Mangaluru Divisional Controller S N Arun to DH.

Both the corporations were operating 40 buses doing 240 single trips each prior to the Covid-19 induced lockdown between Mangaluru and Kasargod. More than 15,000 people were travelling between two districts daily. Mangaluru-Kasargod is the profitable route for both the road corporations. The corporation had not incurred any loss prior to the lockdown, according to officials.

The full-fledged operations of buses will commence gradually as per the demand of the passengers, said Divisional Controller. The response has been good for the KSRTC bus service to Kasargod.

The Puttur KSRTC division is yet to commence its bus services to Kasargod. “A meeting will be convened by the Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday to decide on the same,” said sources in Puttur KSRTC division.