Passengers booking tickets on the premium KSRTC Swift service from Pathanamthitta to Mangaluru expected a smooth and comfortable overnight ride. Instead, they faced a harrowing night of delays, safety hazards, and exhausting shifts from one bus to another.

The trouble began right at the Pathanamthitta depot, where passengers discovered that the modern Swift bus normally assigned to this 580 km route had been diverted to run a Budget Tourism service. In its place, the corporation had deployed an ancient green deluxe bus from the Kottayam depot. Arriving half an hour late, the replacement bus featured heavily worn-out seats that were entirely unfit for long-distance travel, prompting immediate protests from the fully booked passengers.

Worn-out tyres and midnight hazards
As the bus travelled towards Kozhikode, the journey took a dangerous turn. Around 1.30 am near Venniyur, the retreaded rubber on the inner rear-right tyre began to peel off. The loose tread whipped violently against the chassis, creating a terrifying noise that rattled the passengers inside. Realising the imminent danger of continuing, the driver pulled up on the side of the national highway.

Official intervention and depot runarounds
While the bus stood stranded, a patrolling team from the Kottakkal Motor Vehicle Department enforcement squad, comprising officers Anurag and K Anees, noticed the vehicle and inspected the damage. They declared it completely unsafe to proceed without changing the tyre. Though a mechanical team from the Pavangad depot arrived shortly after, they did not have a spare tyre with them and had to return empty-handed. Eventually, a replacement bus arrived from Pavangad at 4.00 am, transferring the exhausted passengers to the Pavangad depot by 5.00 am.

The endless transfer cycle
The ordeal, however, was far from over. Because the Pavangad vehicle was only a local backup bus unfit for the long haul to Karnataka, the passengers had to board a third bus, which managed to reach Kasaragod by 9.30 am. There, they faced yet another hurdle: this bus did not have the interstate permit required to enter Karnataka.

The passengers were forced to shift to a fourth bus to cover the final leg of the journey. Crew members K Manoj Kumar and PM Manu had to physically carry the heavy route boards from one vehicle to another at every swap. Despite repeated complaints lodged by the travellers, including several college students, KSRTC officials showed little urgency. The passengers finally reached Mangaluru at 11.00 am - nearly five hours after the scheduled time to reach the destination.