Chamarajanagara: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s (KSRTC) Chamarajanagara division has recorded profit for the first time post Covid slump.
In November 2019, the corporation had reported a loss of Rs. 75 lakh. After resuming services post Covid first wave in early 2020, there was a significant decrease in the company’s revenue. Also, the corporation’s turnover had not gone smoothly for a year and a half including lockdown, Covid second wave and staff strike.
Even after the second wave subsided, the number of passengers did not pick up for two to three months. KSRTC officials said that the the corporation finally registered profit only during month of November. Before Covid, the Chamarajanagara division was collecting Rs. 55 lakh to Rs. 60 lakh everyday coming up to an average of Rs. 58 lakh.
Speaking to News Karnataka, KSRTC Divisional Controller B. Srinivasa said that there are 509 buses in our division of which currently 460 buses plying. “The maintenance cost of the entire segment is Rs. 16 Crore per month. If Rs. 60 lakh is collected everyday, the total income would be more than the expenditure by the end of the month. In November this year, the average revenue per day was Rs. 55 lakh.”
He said that there were a lot of festivities in the month of November including Diwali, Kartika month, marriage, and house warming among others. Passenger-traffic was thus high. During the Kartika Jatra of Male Mahadeshwara Hills, the revenue of Rs. 75 lakh has been recorded, he noted.
The official said that the daily revenue has increased as more and more students have started using buses as schools and colleges have started functioning.
In September, corporation incurred loss of Rs. 5 crore, while the loss reduced to Rs. 2 crore in October. Finally, in November, the corporation recorded a profit of Rs. 30 lakh. During the first week of December slight drop has been seen in the number of passengers. The daily collection also has dropped to Rs. 50 lakh, said Srinivasa. He said all private buses in the District have not come to roads even though the lockdown has been cleared. In rural areas, buses are not running at all. It has become a boon to KSRTC. There is a demand for buses from rural areas as well, he said and added that we have introduced new routes in rural areas and the response has been great. There is also demand for extra buses, he said.
Srinivasa said that the buses will run following the demand by the passengers.
