Bus companies to operate services down the road

The four bus owners’ associations in Kochi and its immediate suburbs, which are in the process of forming a company each to operate buses, took lessons on Thursday Dec 22,2016 from ‘Pantheerankavu’ society, a private bus operating unit in Kozhikode.

The interactive session was conducted ahead of the proposed rerouting of existing bus services in the city, in tandem with the commissioning of Kochi Metro in mid-2017. “The Pantheerankavu Bus Society has been operating buses successfully for the past five years. Since its formation, rash and competitive driving stopped in different routes, since buses are commonly owned by a company and not by individuals. The Pantheerankavu company even donated two buses to government-run schools, from its operational profit,”

“A similar system, if adopted in Kochi, will be a win-win situation for both bus operators and passengers. Hope this will prompt a few bus owners, who oppose the formation of companies, to fall in line,” they added.

The interactive session of Pantheerankavu society representatives, Kochi’s bus operators and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) officials was organised to motivate the stakeholders in Kochi to form a bus company. But the four owners’ associations are yet to find a common ground in forming a single company. They prefer four separate companies, it is learnt.

The regional secretary of the Kerala Bus Transport Association (KBTA), K.M. Navas, said theirs was the first to be constituted as a limited-liability company (LLC) called Kochi Wheels United, which falls in between a partnership and a company. “We have the membership of 158 city buses. We are well aware of the advantages of forming a company. Spare parts can be purchased in bulk at a discount. Insurance premium too will be cheaper,” he said.

“A pool of trained drivers too will be available with us. They can step in when needed. The idea of forming a company was suggested by Advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, the amicus curiae appointed by the High Court to suggest ways to lessen bus accidents,” Mr. Navas said.

KMRL is happy to learn that the bus owners’ associations have seriously taken this matter and decided to form bus-operation units for efficient management of buses and to offer commuter-friendly services. “In tandem with the proposed Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), KMRL is striving to migrate people from private vehicles to public transportation systems, increasing ridership on buses as well,” KMRL sources said.

As enabling tools, a travel-demand based integrated bus time table, passenger information system at bus stops and terminals, web/mobile application based journey planner, bus operations control centre, depots, Smart Card ticketing, etc. were being planned, they added.