Flagging of the first of the new services at the KSRTC central offices here on Tuesday, Minister for Transport R Ashok said, to begin with the buses will ply on 15 identified high revenue routes. “These buses have special features incorporated in them. With the induction of these buses into the fleet, the number of Volvo’s in KSRTC is now 334” added the minister.
These buses have new features that promise commuters luxury comfort and includes LCD TV for in-passenger entertainment, mobile and lap top chargers and more luggage space than conventional buses. The KSRTC is investing Rs 67 lakh on each bus.
Ashok also reiterated that the State run corporation takes utmost care in selecting and identifying drivers for these high-end premium buses as they are trained at the Volvo training centre at Hoskote.
Integrated daily passes
The minister also announced the introduction of an integrated KSRTC-BMTC daily pass for use by bus passengers on Moffusil as well as City services connecting 11 rural towns to Bangalore. “By using these passes, passengers can save on an average of 30 percent in fares. Commuters stand to benefit from this single pass and travel at concessional fares. The facility will later be extended to other towns in future, based on demand” said Ashok.
KSRTC will also soon introduce a Volvo service from Mangalore to Manipal. “The District Commissioner (DC) has been asked to clear the proposal at the earliest. KSRTC has also decided pay a sum of Rs 2.5 lakh to any passenger who loses his/her life in an accident, while travelling in a KSRTC bus ” Mr Ashok added. The corporation has also decided to issue free bus passes to school students studying upto class 7 while, girl students studying in classes 7 to 10 will be offered a discount of 25 percent from this academic year onwards to promote education of the girl child.
New KSRTC control room
The minister announced the launch of a new control room of KSRTC to provide all information about passengers in the eventuality of an accident. It can be accessed by dialling 22221164/2264. Ashok also informed that CCTV cameras have been installed in all satellite bus stations of the City, to keep track on suspicious activities/persons.
To a query from the reporters on the issue of alleged mismanagement in the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), Ashok said, “There is no question of protection of any official, if found involved. We are ready for investigation”.
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