Booked a long-distance KSRTC bus for this season? Check this to save your time before leaving home

Sona Jose, a Kochi-based student from Wayanad, will miss her job interview in Chennai, all thanks to KSRTC. The youngster, who booked the 5.05 pm Boat Jetty–Mananthavady bus for Friday, reached the departure station on time despite heavy traffic. She, along with other passengers of the bus, waited to get the crew’s number as messages, but did not. That’s when they decided to speak to the station master. His response puzzled them. 

Apparently, the bus has been cancelled for almost a month. ‘Why don’t you head to Vytilla Hub? You might get a bus from there,’ the staff at the depot said nonchalantly. And by around 6.30 pm, KSRTC’s canned message stating that the bus is cancelled, and they are sorry for the inconvenience, reached their phones. Sona says, “I was supposed to reach my destination Engapuzha near Thamarassery by around 11 pm. We were forced to take point-to-point buses on this busy day after the cancellation. And now, I don’t reach even Kozhikode by midnight.” The youngster, who is on her periods, and has had eight spinal surgeries following an accident had booked a front seat ticket. However, now she is forced to travel in the back seat. “I am sure my back will hurt so bad that I won’t be able to attend the interview,” she laments. 

Ex-serviceman Mahadevan Nair, Sona’s co-passenger, who also approached the Jetty staff inquiring about the bus, was told that the bus was cancelled as it was allocated long back for Sabarimala services. “If so, don’t they have the courtesy to at least block its booking on the KSRTC website? This has caused so much inconvenience to many of the passengers.” 

KSRTC officials have not responded to us yet on the incident, despite several attempts. However, sources say that similar last-minute cancellations have been going on for the past few months, as there aren’t enough staff at the Operation Control Centre that is supposed to manage cancellations and reallocations. That said, we do not have confirmation on this. Apparently, it is possible that there will be more cancellations in the coming days, considering the Christmas and Pampa season. The passengers also allege that the website is still showing bookings open and seat availability for cancelled services. 

Passengers who have already booked long-distance tickets for this season should better check with the departure depots in advance to see whether the particular services are still on. Also, have a back-up plan for your travel ready, considering the busy holiday season.