KSRTC to give 24x7 hug to hub

KOCHI: Considering the demand of the Vyttila Mobility Hub Society to operate services from the Vyttila Mobility Hub during  night time, the KSRTC is likely to take a favourable decision in this regard soon. According to sources, the KSRTC is planning to schedule trips in such a way that they ply alternatively to Vyttila Mobility Hub and the Ernakulam bus station respectively. A final decision in this regard will be taken at a high-level meeting that will be convened in the capital  soon. Now, the long-distance KSRTC buses are entering the hub only between 8 am and 8 pm. During day time, the services are being operated from the Mobility Hub. “The only problem raised by the KSRTC is that if the entire services are diverted to the hub, the passengers from West Kochi will suffer. They also do not think that it would be a feasible idea to conduct night services. Hence the authorities are planning to divert services to the hub on an alternative basis,” sources added.The KSRTC authorities had earlier said that operating Thiru Kochi services during night  would not be practical. “If we conduct services during  night, the trip will be scheduled in such a way that a bus starting from Vyttila Hub will ply through Pipeline-Kacherippady-Pallimukku -Edakochi stretch thereby reaching Aroor. It will take one hour and ten minutes  for one side trip. A total of two hours twenty minute will be the running time.  So conducting frequent services throughout the night is not practical. The idea is not financially viable also,” said a KSRTC official.Though the Vyttila Mobility Hub has started functioning throughout the day, the desired result of the facility is yet to be attained as KSRTC buses are not operating from the hub at night. As the primary aim of the hub is to act as the centre point which can meet the travel requirements of Kochiites, the Vyttila Mobility Hub Society authorities had asked the KSRTC to look into the possibilities of  starting more services to the hub.