Kochi Metro may force rerouting of 100 buses

 

The new routes being considered include Chittoor-Edapally and Stadium Road-Vytilla sections. Currently, nearly 1,500 private buses are operating in 160 routes in the city and its suburbs.

 

“The cancellation and rerouting will be mostly done in the Aluva-Kochi section. There is no point in operating private buses at a five-minute interval once the Metro train operations begin. The proposed Urban Mass Transportation Administration  (UMTA) too plans to effect a cut in private buses and other hiring vehicles to woo the maximum number of riders to the modern transport system and decongest the city,” the official said.

 

Once the report is submitted, the KMRL would hold talks with the representatives of city private bus operators on "financially viable" routes and feeder services. 

 

"We've already signed a pact with the Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation  (KURTC)   with regard to feeder services from areas like Fort Kochi and Chittoor. The private buses withdrawn from the main routes will be redeployed as feeder services which will help them get   a fixed revenue," the official said.

 

Meanwhile, the KMRL has asked private bus operators to form a single company integrating various unions on the likes of 'Indraprastha' in New Delhi.  However, the latter are yet to take a decision. 

 

"It's not practicable here. The impact of Metro operations will be felt in the Aluva-Tripunithura region. However, the buses still have a vital role in city transportation with more stops and boarding points than the Kochi Metro," said Mr Lawrence Babu, general secretary, Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation.