Kochi: In what may pave way for operation of more green fuel buses in the near future, the experimental run of the state’s first electric bus has evoked good response in Kochi region too as the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is set to double the daily running time of the first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus following increased revenue collection.
“After raking in a daily average profit of Rs 7000 during its operation in Thiruvananthapuram region, the second leg of trial run of the electric bus in Kochi region too evoked good response. The bus will now be taken to Kozhikode on Wednesday for experimental run there,” said a senior KSRTC official. The bus raked in an average daily collection of Rs 10, 570 during its four-day operation in Kochi. It recorded a revenue of Rs 8, 879 as of 6.30 pm on Tuesday and Rs 12, 236 on Monday.
“The only issue we faced was traffic block. The AC bus daily travelled over 270 kms. The daily service started at 6.30 am and ended at 9.30 pm. The bus was taken to Aluva regional workshop and got charged in just four hours,” the official said. Meanwhile, the KSRTC is set to double the daily running time of the state’s first Compressed CNG bus, also being operated by the Aluva depot. The bus which can run 150 kms upon refilling once is being operated from 6 am to 2 pm daily.
“We’re planning to implement double duty system with respect to its operation which means the bus will get refilled in the afternoon and continue operation till night. The initial daily collection was only Rs 1,500-2,000 but now it has improved to Rs 4,500 (six hours),” the official said. The corporation has already floated tender for 10 more CNG buses to be deployed across the state.
