The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is expanding its fleet with the addition of 130 new buses to improve services for passengers. Among these, 30 buses are non-air-conditioned sleeper buses, and the rest are regular Karnataka Transport ordinary buses. Notably, this marks the first time that KSRTC is introducing a non-AC bus under its own brand name. The new non-AC sleeper buses will operate under the name 'Pallakki Utsav.'
These buses will serve major routes throughout the state, comprising 100 regular red buses, 40 non-AC sleeper buses branded as "Pallaki," and 8 AC sleeper buses. Out of the 148 buses, 100 will offer free travel for women. The non-AC sleeper buses, manufactured by Ashoka Leyland, make up a majority of the new additions, with four non-AC sleepers and four AC sleepers from Tata.
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Under the Shakti Yojana initiative, free travel for women is available in 100 normal buses, while the newly added non-AC sleeper buses will operate with regular fares.
Key features of the new Pallakki Utsav buses include:
- Length of 11.3 meters
- BS-6 technology from H.P. Eng
- 28 hi-tech sleeper berth seats
- Mobile and laptop charging facilities with mobile stands for each seat
- LED seat numbering for easy identification
- LED lighting for improved reading
- Audio receivers for passenger information
- Digital clock and LED flooring
- Convenient space for keeping slippers for each passenger
- Pillow arrangement for added comfort
- High-tech cameras at the back of the bus to aid the driver