100 old buses have been restored in Mysuru, more buses to be restored in the coming days

Mysore/Mysuru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has introduced an eco-friendly and cost-effective initiative to refurbish old buses with engines in good condition instead of purchasing new ones.

The Corporation, which has already refurbished 100 old buses, plans to refurbish more, including Airavata-class luxury buses.

Due to increased demand for buses with the implementation of the ‘Shakti’ scheme, KSRTC devised this plan since there are limited funds from the State Government for new bus purchases. While the engines of Volvo and red-coloured buses, which have already covered hundreds of thousands of kilometres, remain in good condition, their seats and windows are damaged.

Sending these buses to scrap yards would result in a significant loss for KSRTC, as a new bus costs about Rs. 40 lakh. In contrast, refurbishing old buses costs between Rs. 3 lakh and Rs. 4 lakh, depending on their condition.

The authorities have decided to refurbish buses that have run 1 million kilometres or are 10 years old. However, the refurbishment will proceed only after experts submit their evaluations.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, KSRTC Divisional Controller Srinivas said that 14 electric buses are already operating in Mysuru and that the State

Government has invited tenders to purchase additional buses.

A total of 100 buses have already been refurbished in Mysuru, more buses will be refurbished in the coming days. The authorities have started restoring an Airavata-class bus and will soon begin work on four additional Airavata buses out of a total of 53.

While the Government of India has restricted the use of vehicles older than 15 years, KSRTC has decided to restore only those buses that have completed 10 years, allowing them to be used for another five years. Through this restoration effort, KSRTC aims to meet the demand for 80 additional buses in the Mysuru Division.