KSRTC moves RTA afresh with request for 15 route permits

MANGALURU: Mangaluru division of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has moved the Regional Transport Authority afresh for 15 routes to operate city buses funded by Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM). The division has done so on feedback from people. RTA that convened special meeting to consider these applications on April 30 postponed it owing to delay by division getting approval for routes from its Bengaluru head office.
At the last RTA meeting, the authority as well as the commuting people had urged the KSRTC to identify those routes where services operated by private buses are less and where there is need for buses.Incidentally, the authority which had issued permits for 18 out of 35 JnNURM buses that KSRTC sought was reluctant to give rest of the permits from State Bank of India main branch terminus on the ground that the terminus does not have capacity for more buses.
KSRTC that received feedback from commuting public about need for services conducted traffic survey thereafter to gauge potential of the routes demanded. Vivekananda Hegde, KSRTC divisional controller said benefit to commuters as well as operational sustainability are two factors that KSRTC considers in finalising routes. Since we offers free/concessional bus passes to students and other commuters, we want deserving categories to benefits from our service, he said.
Many destinations that the division has identified and will be serviced from the terminus have minimal public transport service. They are Land Links, Boliyar, Ira, Eliyarpadavu, Adyapadi, Porkodi, Akash Bhavan and Shediguri. In addition to these less-served routes, KSRTC is also open to suggestions to operate services on circular routes clockwise and anti-clockwise. This will deploy two buses on equal number of circular routes identified if permits are given.
Circular routes are SBI main branch terminus-Kudroli-Ladyhill-Bejai-Kadri Kambala-Mallikatte-Bendorewell-Mangaladevi-Bolar-Pandeshwara-SBI main branch terminus and Falnir-Highland-Kankanadi-Pumpwell-Naguri-Alape-Padil-Kembar-Maroli-Bikarnakatte-Bunts Hostel-SBI main branch terminus. “The circular routes proposed will give us the leeway to help commuters to travel in the central business district areas of the city with greater ease,” the official said.