KSRTC’s low-floor bus a hit

KSRTC’s low-floor bus a hit

Anil Kumar Sastry
Union Ministry wants States to emulate the design


Better features: A prototype of the KSRTC low-floor bus built at its Kengeri workshop.
BANGALORE: An in-house development of a unique urban semi low-floor bus designed by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) for Mysore city has now caught national attention.

The Union Ministry of Urban Development has asked other State Governments to emulate the design, which was a part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme.

Showcasing the design and features of the new bus, S.K. Lohia, Officer on Special Duty (Mass Rapid Transit System), Urban Transport Division of the Ministry has asked officials involved in urban transport in all the State Governments to follow the pattern.

“The design of the bus drafted in-house by KSRTC has been found to be excellent, giving a totally distinct look to the JNNURM buses,” he has said in his letter.

“All States are requested to consider this model or devise a better model… All the buses should also have LED passenger information system inside as per urban bus specifications,” he added.

Under JNNURM funding, KSRTC procured 150 buses of different categories, including air-conditioned buses, at a cost of Rs. 54 crore. KSRTC engineers designed and built the prototype on the 850 mm height Ashok Leyland chassis at Kengeri workshop, near Bangalore, in May.

The first bus was launched on June 3, ahead of all other road transport corporations in the country.

Speedy induction
Meanwhile, expressing happiness over the development, KSRTC Managing Director Gaurav Gupta told The Hindu that the corporation decided to design and build the bus in-house for speedy induction into the fleet. Getting fully built buses from manufacturers would have consumed more time, he reasoned out.

KSRTC Chief Mechanical Engineer C.G. Anand, under whose supervision the body was designed and built, said his men proved their mettle and exhibited their superiority over their peers.

“Designing an emergency exit with sufficient width and comfort was a major challenge. This was resolved by incorporating the door, measuring 1,220 mm in height and 650 mm in width behind the right rear wheel. This door offers an exit as good as the one offered through the main doors,” he said.

Wide windows with tinted glass panes, 400 mm height first entrance step and 237 mm second step, roof ventilator with exhaust system, laptop chargers, LED destination boards on front, left, rear and inside and global positioning system have all been provided in these buses, Mr. Anand added.