In a major relief for thousands of holidaymakers heading home for Onam, Kerala RTC has launched its temporary interstate services using hired private luxury buses. On the eve of Uthradam, the transport corporation successfully rolled out air-conditioned services to Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, and Kozhikode. Return services from Kerala to Bengaluru are scheduled to begin over the coming days to assist passengers returning after the holidays.

To tackle the heavy festival rush, Kerala RTC had recently floated tenders to hire 63 air-conditioned buses on a wet-lease model for six months. Under this contract, the private operating companies will provide the drivers and handle all vehicle maintenance, while Kerala RTC will deploy its own conductors. The state utility will pay these operators on a per-kilometre basis. To maintain brand consistency, all leased buses will display the Kerala RTC name and logo. The corporation has mandated that only well-maintained vehicles under five years old can be used for these services.

Vande Bharat delays frustrate commuters
While the additional bus services offered some respite, train passengers faced a grueling week as the Bengaluru-Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express ran significantly behind schedule for the third consecutive day. On Uthradam day, the high-speed train, which was scheduled for an early morning departure, was delayed by nearly three hours. It finally left Bengaluru at 8:03 am and crawled into Ernakulam at 5:08 pm.

The persistent delays have sparked frustration among daily commuters and festive travellers who opted for the premium train service to save time. However, railway authorities have assured passengers that the operational bottlenecks have been addressed and the premium service is expected to run on its regular schedule from Thursday onwards.