KSRTC, VMHS mull exchange of land for bus stations

The dilapidated condition of the KSRTC’s Ernakulam bus stand, the inability of private buses and other vehicles to enter the depot, and the the underutilised Vyttila Mobility Hub well after a decade of its commissioning have together set start to discussions between the KSRTC and Vyttila Mobility Hub Society (VMHS) to exchange land at the two prime locales in the city.

The aim is to have a win-win situation for the two entities and also commuters in order to improve footfall in public transport buses. The commissioning of the KSRTC’s bus stand at Kottayam recently, complaints from commuters and others about the Ernakulam bus stand becoming an eyesore in the heart of the city, the stand getting inundated even in moderate rainfall, and the alleged uncertainty about phase-two development works of the hub have further catalysed the process.

Biju Prabhakar, Chairman and Managing Director, KSRTC, said the idea was to exchange land owned by the two agencies for common good. “Valuation of the extent of land that will be exchanged at the two locales is under process,” he added.

The constraints in redeveloping the waterlogged bus stand premises into a full-fledged KSRTC bus stand had resulted in agencies being reportedly reluctant to fund a proposal to relocate the bus stand to the nearby Karikkamury. This can be largely overcome if VMHS develops an area on the eight-acre premises that were less prone to waterlogging, so that both KSRTC and private buses can operate from there. The private bus stand at Kaloor is now located well away from the Ernakulam Junction railway station, official sources said.

The KSRTC area proposed in VMH is likely to be linked with the private bus parking area, metro station, and Water Metro Jetty through a skywalk. This is in keeping with the global trend to integrate different modes of public transport at mobility hubs in different parts of a city. This will make them sustainable and inclusive, the sources added.