KSRTC runs 4,371 services, dismisses reports of bus disruptions

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Monday dismissed as "baseless" reports circulating on social media claiming that bus services had been widely cancelled and operations across the state had been disrupted.

In a statement issued late in the evening, KSRTC said its services were operating normally and that it had run 4,371 schedules on Monday, 16 more than the 4,355 schedules operated on the corresponding day of the previous week.

The state-run transport corporation also said it had kept 376 spare buses ready across various depots for deployment whenever required, asserting that there was no operational crisis or large-scale cancellation of services.

Appealing to the public not to fall for misinformation, KSRTC urged commuters to rely only on official updates regarding its services.

Earlier in the day, Transport Minister C P John had also rejected reports of widespread service cancellations.

Additionally, the minister warned of strict action, including suspension or dismissal, against KSRTC conductors found deliberately issuing 'zero tickets' meant for women to male passengers under the state's Priyadarshini free bus travel scheme.

John said inspections had been intensified to identify such violations and made it clear that no leniency would be shown, irrespective of an employee's trade union affiliation.

John also warned against alleged attacks on Priyadarshini bus staff by private bus employees, describing such incidents as unacceptable. He said strict legal action would be taken against those involved and that police action would continue.

(With PTI inputs)