The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) recently announced that it has launched Onam special bus routes to ease congestion owing to the festive season. It has now announced that the special bus routes to and from Bengaluru will deploy leased private buses. This is because the government corporation is currently facing a shortage in its fleet and has therefore solicited the use of privately-owned buses. Not only will this make travel for passengers significantly more convenient, but it will also bring major relief.
KSRTC Onam Special Bengaluru Routes Deploy Leased Fleet
If reports are to go by, the KSRTC will wet-lease around 63 luxury diesel-fuelled air-conditioned buses to serve the Onam special Bengaluru routes. The first batch of around five buses will reach Bengaluru from Ernakulam and Kozhikode on the coming Tuesday, that is, September 1, 2026.
The first batch has been consolidated from Voyilo Trading, which is a Thrissur-based consortium. The managing partner of the consortium, Dileesh Jose, also said that in the coming days, they will provide more vehicles to the state body.
Also Read: Onam 2026: 10 Best Places To Visit In Kerala During The Festival
Why Were Private Companies Hesitant To Partner?
The Karnataka SRTC has long relied on this model. However, Kerala’s experience with the same has not been thoroughly positive. As per the state president of All Kerala Contract Operators’ Federation, Sebastian Kuttikad, private owners were reluctant to partner with the state.
This is because there have been frequent delays in the past for payment settlements. However, this time, the transport minister C P John himself got involved and secured the fleet for the state. Kuttikad also said that he gave reassurance to private owners about timely payments, and that seemed to have worked.
As of now, it is agreed that the maintenance and employment of drivers will be taken care of by the private owners. The state will deploy its own conductors to take care of the ticketing on the routes.
Also Read: Onam Sadhya Explained: What Each Dish On The Banana Leaf Actually Means
Summing Up
The acquisition of the private fleet on the Bengaluru route on a temporary contract basis will prove to be very useful. It will make up for the immanent shortage in the KSRTC fleet and will also provide a more comfortable, convenient, and cost-effective mode of transport for the passengers.
