45 redone buses of KSRTC on the road in Kolar, C'ballapur

KOLAR/CHIKKABALLAPUR: The Kolar and Chikkaballapur divisions of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) have so far refurbished about 45 buses, including those revamped at the regional workshop in Kengeri, Bengaluru, and deployed them for operations.

According to sources in Chikkaballapur division of KSRTC, 14 refurbished buses have been put to use at various depots attached to the division. In Kolar, a total of 20 refurbished buses have been pressed into service.

Usually, buses that have run over nine lakh kilometres are termed scrap material by KSRTC. However, with increasing passenger traffic following the implementation of the Shakthi scheme, KSRTC decided to refurbish the scrapped buses instead of purchasing new ones to reduce the financial burden.

Shilpa, in-charge depot manager of KSRTC, Chikkaballapur, said refurbished buses could be run for another one-and-a-half to two lakh kilometres. She said six such buses are being operated by the Chikkaballapur depot itself.