In a bizarre turn of events that has left transport officials baffled, a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Superfast bus covered a distance of nearly 380 kilometres only to bring in a measly ₹355 in ticket sales. Only three passengers boarded the service during its entire journey from Kannur to Munnar, prompting the state transport utility to initiate a formal investigation.

The vehicle, which belongs to the Munnar depot, had been temporarily deployed to the Kannur district to cater to the heavy rush of passengers during the Onam festival. Once the festive season drew to a close, Munnar depot authorities decided to bring the bus back. A driver and a conductor were dispatched to Kannur with an electronic ticketing machine to retrieve the vehicle.

To avoid running an empty bus and to recover some of the fuel costs, the crew was instructed to operate it as a standard passenger service on its return journey, complete with a destination board pointing to Munnar. However, the plan backfired spectacularly.

The extent of the financial loss was only realised when the crew returned to the Munnar depot to deposit the collection and hand over the ticketing machine. To the absolute disbelief of depot officials, the machine recorded a collection of just ₹355 for the 379-kilometre trip.

KSRTC authorities are now looking into the incident to understand if there was a lack of proper publicity regarding the service or if the timing of the journey contributed to the empty seats. In a state where long-distance routes are highly sought after, running a nearly 400-kilometre service with just three passengers has raised serious questions about operational planning.