The first LNG bus service of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was launched on Monday. Transport Minister Antony Raju flagged off the service from the Thiruvananthapuram central bus station at noon. The services will be along the Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam, and Ernakulam-Kozhikode routes.
An order has been issued to convert the existing 400 old diesel buses to LNG. The switch to green fuel is part of the KSRTC revival efforts. Petronet LNG Ltd of the central government has currently handed over two of their LNG buses for three months. The technical-financial merits of the buses would be evaluated during this period. Also, the feedback of the driver and maintenance staff would be sought, the Minister said.
LNG vs diesel bus
The LNG bus is about 40 per cent more efficient than diesel vehicles. These buses can be deployed more for long-distance services. Compared to other fuels, LNG can be stored in larger quantities in smaller tanks. Carbon emission is very low.
Pay revision talks in KSRTC
Discussions on pay revision in the KSRTC would be held on Tuesday. Previously, the pay revision was implemented in the KSRTC in 2010. Though an attempt was made to revise pay in 2015, this was deferred.
The discussion will be chaired by Minister Antony Raju. Transport Secretary Biju Prabhakar, other senior officials, and representatives of the Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association (CITU), Transport Democratic Federation (TDF), and Kerala State Transport Employees Sangh (BMS) will also take part in the talks.
