KSRTC Adds One Lakh Daily Passengers, Achieves Record Revenue and Ridership

Thiruvananthapuram: Within six months, KSRTC has added one lakh daily passengers, taking the total daily ridership to 20.5 lakh, up from 19.49 lakh. On Monday, the number of passengers rose further to 24.5 lakh.

The EPKM (earning per kilometer), which was 48.58 rupees, has now crossed 50 rupees, and on some days it touches 55 rupees. The total daily ticket revenue has crossed 8 crore rupees.

The expansion of the Travel Card, introduction of digital payment systems, and deployment of modern buses have attracted more passengers. Various reforms have also contributed to the increased revenue. Loss-making electric bus routes were reorganised with revised timings. Based on the 2019 inter-state agreement with Tamil Nadu, new services have been started using Volvo, low-floor AC, super-fast, and fast passenger buses. Services reaching the Kerala border have also been connected to internal routes, improving travel convenience.

KSRTC assigned targets to individual units. In July, only 52 units were generating operational profits. After implementing cost-cutting measures, 93 units turned profitable. On September 8, KSRTC achieved its highest-ever daily collection: 10.19 crore rupees from tickets and 11.20 crore rupees including non-ticket revenue. On that day, a record 24.94 lakh passengers travelled.

Earlier, the highest ticket revenue was 9.22 crore rupees, recorded on December 23, 2024, during the Sabarimala season. The Thiruvananthapuram–Munnar double-decker service is also profitable, generating 48,000 rupees in daily profit from the Munnar sector alone.

The government has allocated 120 crore rupees for the development of various bus stations. The funds will be used to modernise the stations at Kottarakkara, Kayamkulam, Thrissur, Kollam, Attingal, Ernakulam, Chengannur, and Changanassery.