There is no day in our lives that we come across a Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) or get a glimpse of the infamous red-coloured bus passing through the road, huffing and puffing, struggling to cope with the changing times. Despite its presence, KSRTC is fading into oblivion, incurring heavy losses and facing bureaucratic infallibilities. To overcome the situation, KSRTC management made a series of policy changes, including renting buses for tourism, marriage events, Shop on Wheels, Sleep in Bus and others.
Budget Tourism
KSRTC offers tour packages to famous destinations in and outside the state. The public need to book tickets and embrace a unique travel experience through this venture. KSRTC launched budget tourism services in 2021 from Kottayam. Since its inception a year early, KSRTC has managed to evoke a nostalgic feeling for Malayalis to experience breathtaking journeys through beautiful valleys, hills, forests, waterfalls and plantations for a fraction of the money demanded by other private tourist agencies in the state.
Shop on Wheels
What could we do with the abandoned old buses of KSRTC, left to rot in yards and depots? This was a question that troubled KSRTC management in the past several decades. It is common knowledge that KSRTC owns one of the largest collections of buses that has completed its service period. By collaborating with various departments, including Supplyco, MILMA, Kudumbashree, Horticorp and state prison, KSRTC managed to convert stage carriers into food truck/grocery shops. Later public players started to convert the buses into restaurants and book stalls.
Sleep in Bus
As the name signifies, KSRTC allows you to use their bus to relax, sleep and save some extra bucks rather than spend a lot on accommodations when planning a trip to popular tourist destinations. Further, KSRTC also remodelled the buses in such a way that it is hard to believe the vehicle was once a carrier. Meanwhile, KSRTC also opened up its fuel pumps for the public, thereby earning extra revenue selling fuels brought from oil companies for their buses,
Lube Shops
In 2021, KSRTC launched 'lube shops' by tying up with oil companies to sell lubricants at an affordable cost to the public and changing the oil in two-wheelers without levying service charges. The first shop became operational in Kochi in July. KSRTC offered customers a 15% discount and even 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi.
Samudra
Through the venture, KSRTC planned to help fisherfolk in coastal areas. The buses were converted for transporting women fish vendors from one place to another and helping them in their business. Launched in collaboration with the Fisheries Department, the first bus flagged off in 2021 from Thiruvananthapuram. Three buses were allocated for the project.
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