This Onam, KSRTC to launch tatkal scheme

Kochi: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation  will start implementing the ‘Tatkal’ system similar to that of the Indian Railways in its Bangalore-bound inter-state buses from Onam on an experimental basis.

“A total of ten seats will be set apart  in each bus under the Tatkal scheme for which the commuters will have to pay more. The Tatkal booking will be open for booking 48 hours before the departure of the buses,” said Mr P. M. Sharaf Muhammed, executive director (operations).

“In the multi-axle Volvo and Scania buses, the seat numbers seven to 16 will be allocated while it will be from nine to 18 in super deluxe buses. It will be introduced from September 9 for the services from Bangalore to various destinations in Kerala,” he said.

During the experimentation stage, the Tatkal service will be available on September 9, 11, 12, 13 and October 7 from services stating from Bangalore. Tatkal services have also been extended in services from various destinations in the state to the garden city on September 18 and October 11.

The scheme is intended to help commuters to book seats at short notice. Passengers travelling on the special schedules with Tatkal facility will have to dole out end-to-end fares. “This means even if they have to de-board at any point between the starting and destination points, they have to pay the full charge for the entire distance during the trip,” a senior KSRTC officer said. “The scheme is meant for the  festival season when the demand is high. ” he said.

The tickets can be booked over counter and through the online booking site of the corporation.