Kerala Lines is a dedicated and reliable bus fleet operator, connecting the beautiful Malabar Coast State of Kerala – known for its palm-lined beaches and backwaters, and evergreen mountains with tea, coffee and spice plantations. We spoke to Mr. Sanish Jan, Managing Director, Kerala Lines, at its head office located at Madiwala, in the heart of Bengaluru.
Speaking to MOTORINDIA, Mr. Sanish said: “Our initial journey started with the launch of four buses in 2013. We connected Bengaluru with Cochin and Pathanamthitta with a pair of AC sleeper and Volvo multiaxle semi-sleeper coaches to start with. Being a Kerala-based operator, we realized the huge potential of tourism through our fleet operator business. We started with our base at Bengaluru as our head office, and began by connecting the major cities in Kerala with the IT city.”
The growth story
Kerala Lines is headed by Mr. Sadeer Jan, who is the Chairman of the company. The company is currently run by his sons – Mr. Sanish Jan and Mr. Sanith Jan, who are Managing Directors of the firm. Mr. Sadeer Jan started his initial business with a Travel Centre located at Thrissur, Kerala. In 2013, Mr. Sadeer launched his own brand – ‘Kerala Lines’ as a joint venture with Bengaluru-based – ‘Siddaganga Travels’ for its bus operations to Kerala. Starting with the initial launch of four buses, Kerala Lines has gradually increased its fleet to 18 buses, connecting Bengaluru with Chottanikkara, Adoor, Pathanamthitta, Cochin, Kanjirapalli and Kottayam.
Kerala Lines has since added AC sleepers, Volvo B9R Multiaxles and Scania Multiaxles, increasing its fleet size gradually. The company has also undertaken new developments on the operation front. Speaking about the initiatives, Mr. Sanish shared: “We have enabled GPS tracking on all our buses for easy fleet tracking and management. We are also planning about the installation of CCTVs in our buses soon in view of security and safety concerns”.
He further added: “We also stress on vehicle care and maintenance. We have our own garage cum parking facility, which is taken care of by our four member maintenance team. Maintenance activities like bus wash, cleaning and minor body and repair work are taken care by our team while major servicing work is carried out in the respective company outlet servicing centres. We have presently outsourced the laundry work – like washing of seat covers, sleeper coach bed sheets and pillow cover.”
When asked about future strategies for fleet and route expansion, he replied: “We are interested for the intake of Euro-IV Volvo and Scania multiaxle coaches as part of our bus fleet expansion plans. We are keeping track of the market reviews of these products and will soon take a decision in regards to our purchase. As far as new routes are concerned, we have plans to connect Bengaluru and Thiruvanantapuram and, Cochin and Chennai soon. Cochin – Chennai will be our first route outside of Karnataka. We are also looking forward to boost the passenger flow between Kerala and Karnataka in favour of tourism growth in this sector.”
The MD further added: “Our crews form an integral part of the company and Kerala Lines always adheres to its stringent policy of choosing experienced drivers and crew for its operations. Drivers are always instructed specifically regarding bus safety, punctuality and good behaviour towards passengers. Our office staff are trained to deal with customer queries and complaints addressal and a three-member customer care department has been formed to take care of the queries and complaints.”
He added that the company has got positive and good reviews about the fleet services on ‘Redbus’ platform. He also told that the company always adheres to its policy of punctual departure and arrival timings, clean interiors and exteriors of the bus and good crew behaviour towards passengers, which have become a trademark of the fleet operator’s services on all its routes of operation.
Tourism prospects
Replying to issues faced regarding the growth of private bus fleet operators in Kerala, Mr. Sanish felt: “I am worried about the improper Government taxation policies pertaining to the bus fleet operator industry in Kerala and whole of India to speak in general terms, which is hindering the required growth in the sector. Kerala is famous for its natural beauty and landscapes and attracts large number of domestic and international tourists every year. We have an ideal ecosystem to introduce and promote concepts like ‘Green – Tourism’ and ‘Eco – Tourism’ with the help of the bus industry catering to its growth by bridging places and connecting people within the State and from outside the State. A lot can happen if the problems are dealt with seriously, to pave a better way of development and local employment opportunities for the people. I see huge potential in the Allepy – Munnar belt to boost tourism in Kerala. A well-planned approach will surely key in new possibilities in the coming days”.
Development strategies
The MD further recalled in retrospect of the current situation in the bus industry and observed that apart from taxation, there lies a lack of mutual understanding between the fleet operators for common fare structure implementation for a particular route.
Mr. Sanish added: “We have a problem of not implementing a uniform fare on a particular route. One can observe the absurd non-uniform fares on a particular end to end trip from different operators. If we can reach a consensus wherein it is decided that every operator is ready to charge a common fare for a particular route, then I believe, there will be a proper base of understanding among fleet operators, based on principles of mutual growth in this industry. Passengers will have a better option to choose their preferred service based on their convenience and choice. I support the constitution of BOCI (Bus Operators Confederation Of India) and trust that BOCI has given us a much-needed common platform to discuss the challenges and issues faced by the bus fleet operators pan-India, which will enable us to arrive at effective solutions based on consensus which can be implemented with ease and convenience. I hope that the major problems faced by the industry like taxation and common fare implementation will be taken into account on priority by BOCI by talking to the government and putting solutions into effect as early as possible, for the overall betterment of the industry.”
Mr. Sanish concluded on an optimistic note, stating: “At Kerala Lines, we have a prompt strategy to expand our fleet operations from our base in Kerala and our headquarters in Karnataka to other neighbouring States in the coming years. As a long-term strategy, we want to connect Hyderabad and Telangana too. But as I have told before, that the expansion projects can be fully implemented once we deal with challenges facing the bus fleet operator business as a whole. We have always remained committed to providing better means of travel and transport means to general public and adhere to our blue print of sustainable transport through our fleet services”.