KSRTC caps passengers on Gavi bus service amid safety concerns

Faced with recurring breakdowns and severe overcrowding on the Gavi route, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has capped the number of passengers on its Priyadarshini service at 55 until additional buses are introduced.

The move comes amid mounting safety concerns over passengers being stranded deep inside the forest following repeated bus breakdowns.

According to KSRTC sources, the service caters not only to tourists but also Forest department personnel, Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) workers, the police, KSEB officials, and local residents. The heavy rush has made even securing a seat increasingly difficult.

The district administration has already written to the KSRTC Managing Director seeking additional services on the route. Officials, however, said any increase in services would require Forest department approval as the buses pass through protected forest areas.

Recent incidents

A Priyadarshini bus that left for Gavi from the Pathanamthitta depot on Saturday (July 11, 2026) developed a mechanical fault at Kaattadikunnu, about 30 km from Gavi. The 35-seat bus was carrying around 70 passengers when it broke down. A mechanic travelling in a KSRTC budget tourism bus repaired the fault, enabling the service to resume after a delay.

The breakdown came just a day after another Priyadarshini bus on the Pathanamthitta-Gavi-Kumily route had been stranded inside the forest. A Forest department vehicle had to be pressed into service to evacuate the passengers.

The back-to-back breakdowns have once again put the ageing fleet on the Gavi route under the scanner. According to KSRTC officials, most buses are over a decade old and routinely groan under loads far beyond their capacity, with vehicles meant for 35 to 42 passengers often carrying nearly 100 during peak hours.

With mobile connectivity absent across long stretches of the route that passes through dense forests, a breakdown can leave passengers stranded with little access to help. The intensifying monsoon and worsening road conditions have only added to the danger.