The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is coming up with mobile and stationary air conditioned ‘Sleeper on wheels’ to offer adequate rest for its drivers and conductors, to prevent them from dozing off at the wheels.
“The drivers operating long-distance buses are on wheels for 10 to 11 hours. Through this initiative, we are aiming at reducing it to five to six hours by offering rest in the ‘Sleeper on Wheels’ and crew change,” Managing Director, KSRTC, Biju Prabhakar said.
Accidents
Three bus accidents involving buses leaving Karipur airport, five heart attacks in one month and lack of space in the depots and terminal buildings for the crew to take rest had forced the KSRTC to come up with the initiative, he said.
Sleep-deprived drivers are responsible for about 40% of the road accidents. Fatigued drivers are prone to dozing off at the wheels in the early hours of the day. “By offering them rest, we are improving efficiency and taking care of the safety of passengers,” he said.
Decommissioned buses lying in the 92 depots across the State are being converted into sleeper cabins for the crew.
Mobile and stationary
In the mobile air-conditioned units,16 beds will be available. Lockers to keep belongings, small dining table and wash basin will also be available.
Two decommissioned buses will be combined face to face to create bigger stationary units that can accommodate 32 beds. They too will have all the facilities on the mobile units. The refurbishing for a bus will cost ₹1.75 lakh.
The mobile ‘Sleeper on Wheels’ will be provided in Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin and Karipur international airports initially in the wake of the operations from these places during the pandemic.
The stationary units will be located at the KSRTC depots in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Chengannur, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Angamaly, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kuttipuram and Kozhikode.
The power needed for these mobile units will be made available from AAI or the KSEB. “We have plans to install solar rooftop panels to power these units. ANERT will be approached for providing the services,” he said.
