The Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) was a state-run bus company which started with more than 500 low-floor buses (A/C & NON A/C) in Kerala. KURTC used to run complete and individual services in Thiruvananthapuram & Ernakulam districts. The remaining 12 districts were divided into 5 clusters; Cluster I comprises Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram; Cluster II Kottayam, Thodupuzha, and Pathanamthitta; Cluster III Kannur and Kasaragod; Cluster IV Thrissur and Palakkad; and Cluster V Kollam and Alappuzha.[4][5]
| Parent | Kerala State Road Transport Corporation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015[1] |
| Defunct | 2022[2] |
| Headquarters | Kochi[3] |
| Service area | Kerala |
| Service type | Local, limited-stop, express, and BRT bus service |
| Operator | Government of Kerala |
| Website | https://kurtc.in/ |
COVID gravely affected the profitability and sustenance of this service, and the buses got rusted due to non usage and only 97 were functional out of which 70 were then given to City Circular Bus service. KURTC shut down all operations in 2022.[6] Even their official website www.kurtc.in was closed down, thus signaling the end of a golden era of cheap and convenient transport service for customers.
History
editThe Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation was inaugurated in April 2015 by Oommen Chandy, the then Chief Minister of Kerala,[1] with headquarters in Thevara in Kochi, to operate low-floor buses which were procured with the financial assistance from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).[4] It featured a separate account and logo.
Gallery
edit-
Interior of Low Floor Buses -
KURTC Volvo B7RLE
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Chandran 2018, p. 422-423.
- ^ "An end to KURTC; KSRTC halts bus services implemented for journeys within the city". Kerala Kaumudi. 14 June 2022.
- ^ "Chandy Inaugurates KURTC Hub at Thevara". The New Indian Express. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ a b "All JNNURM buses to be brought under KURTC". The Hindu. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ "KURTC Awaiting Promised Central Aid". The New Indian Express. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ Daily, Keralakaumudi. "An end to KURTC; KSRTC halts bus services implemented for journeys within the city". Keralakaumudi Daily. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- Chandran, VP (2018). Mathrubhumi Yearbook Plus - 2019 (Malayalam ed.). Kozhikode: P. V. Chandran, Managing Editor, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company Limited, Kozhikode.
External links
edit