Thiruvananthapuram: Actor Mohanlal to serve as the goodwill ambassador of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar announced on Tuesday. The actor will promote the public transport utility without receiving any payment, the Minister said, and will feature in upcoming KSRTC advertisements. The corporation plans to collaborate with talented directors to produce these promotional campaigns.

The announcement comes as KSRTC achieved a record ticket collection on January 5, earning ₹12.18 crore from 4,952 buses in service. Including other commercial income such as revenue from shops in KSRTC-owned buildings and petrol pump operations, total revenue for the day reached around ₹13 crore, the Minister added.

The Sabarimala pilgrimage season also contributed to increased earnings, boosting revenue by around ₹2 crore compared with the same period last year.

The historic achievement is being attributed to the state government’s policies aimed at protecting and making public sector undertakings profitable, the systematic management of KSRTC operations to meet targets, and the modernisation of the corporation’s fleet.

Coordinated efforts by the government, KSRTC employees and officials were also highlighted as playing a key role in reaching this “brilliant milestone.”

The Chief Minister said that the government is steadily progressing towards its goal of making KSRTC fully self-sufficient and congratulated the corporation’s employees and officials for their dedication and hard work in achieving this accomplishment.