Restructuring of public transport in Kerala for operational excellence

1. Cost reduction through the optimisation of schedules
2. Generate higher levels of operational performance
3. Identify more revenue growth opportunities
4. Provide best services for the passenger

Problem Statement

Because KSRTC was established in the 1930s, it suffers from legacy issues, old archaic practices, and a lack of technological upgradation which led to low operational efficiency. Over time, losses accumulated and the public’s impression of KSRTC diminished, especially after the COVID pandemic.

Given this, a restructure and revamping of all its practices, especially when it comes to operations, was the need of the hour.

And so KSRTC revamped duty patterns, as per the Motor Transport Workers Act, restructured the accounting system, and introduced new initiatives like City, Grama Vandi, Bypass, Feeder Services, and more.

Revamped duty patterns, as per the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961

As a result, crew productivity, revenue, and passenger numbers increased, as well as more bus connectivity to the public.

For the first time, innovative City Services were introduced 

For example, the City Circular, City Shuttle, and City Radial Services. This is supported by single fare ticketing, straight line maps, route timings in Google Maps, multilingual transit signage and bus stop sign boards, in addition to linked tickets.

Introduced Budget Tourism

For an Indian first, a state transport organisation started tourism packages with their own buses. Namely, this includes a City Ride-Open Double Decker Tourist service.

Started Grama Vandi Services

While diesel costs are paid by local governments and others, KSRTC is the operator.

Revamping of duty patterns increased operating revenue by 26%, operated kilometres by 30%, and passengers by 28% in Parassala Depot.

For the City Circular Service in Trivandrum, passengers per day increased from 3,000 to 40,000, with women and children markedly shifting to public transport.

More tourists domestic and international preferred KSRTC Budget Tourism. It is economical, people friendly, and offers the best services to enjoy the natural beauty of Kerala.

Grama Vandi services provided bus connectivity to more roads, with operating costs reduced by 50%. With 11 services operating at present, more than 5,500 passengers use this daily.

With these initiatives, the monthly revenue of KSRTC increased from 168.7 Crore (€18.9 million) in April 2022 to 243.35 Crore (€27.2 million) in December 2022.