KOCHI: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has embarked on an oil-conservation drive to improve its low mileage, which is 3.84 km per litre of diesel.

The Corporation Managing Director, K.P. Somarajan, said that awards and incentives would be given to drivers who adopt good driving skills over a period of time (resulting in good mileage) and depots which record maximum fuel efficiency. "Moreover, stickers bearing 10 vital measures that will help in increasing mileage will be pasted in all KSRTC buses," he said.

"We have embarked on the drive in consultation with the Petroleum Conservation and Research Association (PCRA). It is noteworthy that within a few months of the drive, the mileage has improved from 3.76 km/litre of diesel to 3.84 km/litre. Buses operating from 20 of the 80 depots of the KSRTC have started recording mileage of above 4 km/litre," he said.

The Transport Minister, N. Shaktan said the KSRTC spends Rs. 30 crores on diesel every month. "The Corporation has been suffering a total loss of Rs. 8 crores per month. The oil-conservation drive will help in considerably reducing the loss. Our immediate aim is to increase the mileage to above 4 km/litre," he said.

Lowest mileage

KSRTC buses have the lowest mileage at a time when the national average is 4.48 km/litre. The transport corporations of the three neighbouring States showed a mileage very near to or higher than the national average. Buses of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation have an average mileage of 5.5 km/litre, while those in Andhra Pradesh have 5.03 km/litre. In Tamil Nadu, the figure is 4.98 km/litre.

Mr. Somarajan said the training programme with the help of PCRA experts would be a continuing process. "Apart from teaching drivers and mechanics the theory part of conserving fuel, they will also be given on-the-road training. KSRTC buses consume 3.25 lakh litres of diesel to travel 12.5 lakh kilometres every day. A saving of 10 per cent on fuel means we save 32,000 litres of diesel every day," he said.

The State Coordinator of PCRA, R. Manoj, said that the RTCs of other States were able to achieve high mileage because of continuous training programmes. He showed an evaluation sheet which recorded a fall in fuel consumption of KSRTC buses after drivers were given training.

"Some drivers recorded a fall in consumption of up to 17.5 per cent. As per PCRA norms, up to 30 per cent of fuel can be saved by better driving skills. Apart from being taken on a test drive to correct their driving habits, drivers are also shown a video clipping on good-driving skills. After the training programme, some drivers recorded a mileage of 6.25 km/litre. As the second phase of the project, mechanics in different depots are told to ensure that batteries, tyres, brakes and diesel tanks of the buses are in top condition," Mr. Manoj said. A monitoring and verification system has to be introduced to ensure that buses get good fuel efficiency. Taking drivers and mechanics into confidence is crucial to boost the fuel efficiency of buses, he said.

The Corporation also plans to introduce collection-batta system in more routes. Mr Shaktan said that this is with the aim of increasing the daily collection, which is Rs. 265 lakhs now.

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