End of the road for ThiruKochi services!

Kochi: A new direction given by the KSRTC management to stop bus schedules with revenue collection below Rs 10, 000 daily, will spell the end of ‘ThiruKochi’ services, introduced in 2009 to take on city private buses. “Currently we have 35 schedules under the ThiruKochi brand, exclusively for city services. However, all of them are drawing in less than '10, 000 daily on an average. We have got the order from the head office to stop all services not meeting the collection target and therefore the ThiruKochi services will be the first to go,” said a senior officer.

The authorities are mulling deploying the buses for inter-district profitable routes like Ernakulam-Cherthala and Ernakulam-Vaikom. “However, the services introduced because of social commitment, like those on which school students depend, will be retained,” he said. Initially a total of 50 ThiruKochi buses were allotted to Kochi but currently only 35 of them are operating to destinations like Thevara, Kakkanad and Panangad among others.

The buses were aimed at operating city services similar to that in Thiruvananthapuram, however, the services were not beneficial to commuters because of unscientific timings and routes. In June last, though authorities rescheduled the services, there was no significant improvement in collection. “With private buses available in all city areas frequently, the services were profitable only during bus strike days. The last strike by private buses in Vypeen region saw the collection double up to '16, 000 daily,” the official added.