KSRTC to run AC sleepers to counter pvt bus operators

Bengaluru: To win public patronage and to counter the onslaught of private bus services, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), for the first time, is planning to introduce multi-axle Volvo AC sleeper buses.

Corporation sources said that KSRTC will roll out 22 sleeper coaches on long-distance inter-city routes within six months. Six of these buses are likely to be inducted by next month.

“There was a big demand from passengers to start sleeper AC services on longer routes. Private operators have been running such services for a long time, but the fares are high. That is the reason passengers were demanding such a service from KSRTC.

This will work for the corporations in terms of revenue generation. These multi-axle Volvo AC buses will continue to be called Ambaari services,” a senior KSRTC official told Deccan Chronicle.

KSRTC was the first state-run transport corporation in the country to operate high-end Volvo services. It operates Ambaari in the sleeper-coach category and the introduction of Volvo AC sleeper buses is expected to offer a comfortable journey to long-distance passengers. The 15m-long sleeper buses can accommodate 40 passengers as compared to the 12-m long Corona sleeper buses that can carry 32.  

Sources said that the new buses are likely to be operated from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Ernakulam, Mumbai, Pune and Shirdi.