KSRTC plans to launch airport flybus to six more destinations

Plans to extend service to Shivamogga, Tirupati, Puducherry

 The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is planning to extend Flybus services to six more destinations. The Flybus facility is a direct service from and to the Kempe Gowda International Airport to cities other than Bengaluru.

KSRTC Managing Director Rajender Kumar Kataria told Deccan Herald: “KSRTC will introduce services to Madurai, Puducherry, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Tirupati and Shivamogga as people want a direct bus service from the airport to their home towns. We are expecting a good response from these cities. Taxis are expensive and risky, particularly at night. KSRTC will offer a safe, direct, inexpensive service to air passengers. We want to fill the space other than taxis.”

The KSRTC is running two flybus services from the airport currently - airport to Mysuru and Kundapura and back. People who alight from a flight and want to head out to Mysuru and Kundapura directly can catch these buses at the airport. These are non-stop services with a break provided only if passengers ask for it. Currently, three buses operate to Mysuru and one to Kundapura. The response to these services has been good so far and there is more demand for these services.

“We will watch the passenger flow based on which we will introduce more services to the two cities,” Kataria said.

The Kundapura service attracts lot of passengers from Mangaluru and Manipal, which are important educational hubs.

The Mysuru service draws people from Infosys Mysuru and other tech companies in the city apart from the well-known JC Engineering College.

The Flybus services do not enter the city from the airport but take the ring roads and the Nice Road and hit the Mysuru and Mangaluru roads directly to save time and ensure a quick journey.

Pact with hotel

At the Bengaluru airport, the KSRTC has made an arrangement with a private luxury hotel -  Plaza One - for passengers. Passengers, after alighting, can rest in the hotel for a few hours. The hotel has been informed about the departure timings of the Flybus.The passengers get a discount on the hotel bill as KSRTC has an agreement that it would extend its services to the hotel’s customers.
A one-way ride from Bengaluru airport on the luxury bus service to Mysuru costs around Rs 850, while the same in a taxi would run into thousands. The three buses KSRTC running now are turning in profits. While the cost per km is Rs 50, the return on each km is Rs 54. The load factor varies daily, but the average return on investment is working out positively for KSRTC, senior officials said.

The KSRTC service also runs TV services for every seat which offers information on flight timings and news channels as well.

“Our focus is on information. People want quick information about many things to make quick decisions. They are also curious about flight arrivals and departures. We provide access to news channels as well, through which people get to know what’s happening in the city in which they have landed,” KSRTC officials said.