The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will introduce semi-sleeper model reclining seats in the low-floor buses of the corporation on an experimental basis. Reclining seats have already been introduced on two buses for a trial purpose. A trial service will be conducted on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode route for one month using these seats.
It would be extended to 180 Volvo low-floor AC buses owned by the public utility along the long routes if it is found feasible and based on feedback from passengers.
Around ₹3.14 lakh is required for replacing the normal seats with reclining seats on a bus. The low floor buses were introduced in the State during the period of 2009-13. The mileage of the low-floor bus is just 2.5km per litre diesel and during the city services, it will be reduced further.
Following this, the low-floor AC buses are mainly now operational on long-haul routes. But the seating arrangement, which was designed for city travel, was one of the major complaints being raised by passengers. With switching to reclining seats, the long haul buses can attract more passengers, the KSRTC said in a release.
