Clean fuel mandate stalls expansion of Tripunithura-Infopark feeder services

Kochi: A ‘clean fuel' mandate by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has emerged as the primary obstacle to increasing feeder bus frequency on the high-demand Tripunithura-Infopark route. A single air-conditioned CNG bus remains the lone transport option for hundreds of daily commuters, mostly Infopark employees.The non-stop service, operated by Kleen Smart Bus Ltd (KSBL) under a licence from KMRL, has been a hit since its inception in June last year."For those arriving at Tripunithura from nearby regions via train or Metro, the feeder service is very helpful. However, only a single 25-seater bus is currently deployed. One has to wait for nearly 1.5 hours to catch the service. They could have deployed more feeder buses at least during morning and evening peak hours," said Lavanya Sandheesh, a techie and a regular commuter."The service is a necessity for scores of techies as Tripunithura station is tucked away from main roads, requiring a 700-m walk to the nearest bus stop. Metro authorities should also start new feeder services connecting interior parts of Tripunithura like Pavankulangara with Metro station," said Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents' Association convener V C Jayendran.KSBL operator is prepared to deploy additional vehicles, but KMRL's strict licensing mandate requires all new feeder units to be either electric or CNG. "These vehicles come with higher capital costs. For instance, it cost over Rs one crore to acquire a 30-seater electric bus. Further CNG buses develop technical snags too often, resulting in high maintenance costs. We are ready to operate with diesel buses and have submitted a request to KMRL, which is yet to respond on the same," said KSBL managing director Antony B J."KMRL itself can deploy an electric bus from its fleet of 15 e-buses. This will only increase the patronage," he pointed out.