Bus aggregator-platform likely to be a game changer in Kerala’s interstate bus travel sector

Germany-based FlixBus to launch services in the Bengaluru-Kochi-Alappuzha corridor from Deepavali, to be followed by similar bus services by the aggregator from Chennai. Buses that get selected will be less than three years old and will have two-point seat belts and other safety parameters

The foray of Germany-based bus aggregator platform FlixBus, which is learnt to be nearing finalisation of its plans to launch services in the Bengaluru-Kochi-Alappuzha corridor from Deepavali, is expected to be a game changer in the interstate bus travel sector in Kerala.

This would be followed by similar bus services by the aggregator from Chennai. The unavailability, including in Kochi, of a dedicated terminus for interstate buses is however a cause for concern, sources say.

The buses that get selected will be less than three years old and will have two-point seat belts and other safety parameters, which include equipment to detect driver drowsiness. The bus operator, whose bus the aggregator would rope in, will need to install seat belts, dashcams to detect driver drowsiness/fatigue, and ride-viewer to keep track of unscheduled halts.

Such aggregator platforms are the outcome of the Centre’s bus-aggregator policy and the All India Tourist Permit (AITP) regulations.

Senior Motor Vehicle department (MVD) officials say such services in Kerala could bring a refreshing and qualitative change in the sector where commuters are often at the mercy of bus operators who charge many times the normal fare during summer vacation and festive seasons. “The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which is facing acute fleet depletion, is not in a position to cater to the demand from commuters for interstate travel. KSRTC buses also enter multiple bus depots, increasing the travel time,” say officials.

Even as private operators have upgraded most of their buses, there are operators who ply old buses, which are illegally altered and do not adhere to safety norms, from Kerala to Bengaluru and other metro cities. Referring to the outcome of a probe into a fatal bus accident that occurred earlier this year in Kochi, sources say the illegally-altered bus was registered in a northeast State and had a fake fitness certificate. The bus was operating in Kerala and had passed toll plazas here on the day it was reported to have appeared for a fitness test.

The officials also cite the need to do away with taxes that State governments levy as the operators have already paid the Centre to obtain AITP. The Kerala government should prepareinterstate bus terminals in different districts as commuters now are forced to wait on the side of busy roads and highways, they say.

However, Rijas A.J., State president of Interstate Bus Owners’ Association–Kerala, says the entry of aggregator platforms could prove the death knell for small and medium interstate bus operators in Kerala.

“Sometimes, the travel fare in AC sleeper buses is as low as ₹900 for traversing the Ernakulam-Bengaluru distance due to intense competition and the entry of newer bus operators,” he say. “Also, the existing bus operators too, rising up to competition, have enabled functions like live bus tracking,” he add.

Published - October 05, 2024 10:47 pm IST