KOCHI: There is good news for hundreds of commuters who find travelling to Bangalore a costly affair this Christmas season, as the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has started operating ‘Festival Specials’ from Friday.

The initiative comes in the light of private luxury buses charging over Rs 2,000 and railways operating ‘Premium trains’, both of which will burn a hole in the pocket, much to the disappointment of middle class families visiting home for Christmas vacation.

“We have deployed five Superfast buses to Bangalore from Thrissur and Kozhikode. The fare will be very affordable. These are besides the additional Festival Special Services to destinations like Kasargod and Kannur during the Christmas season.

The booking for the services can be done online in the KSRTC online reservation site ‘Saarathi’,” said K M Irshad, Executive Director (Operations).

The Superfast from Thrissur will depart at 10 pm and proceed to the Garden City via Kozhikode-Sultan Bathery and Mysore. The bus would start from Bangalore at Rs 415 per seat. On its return trip, the bus will depart from Bangalore at 8.30 pm.

Meanwhile, KSRTC is all set to run Pampa Specials from Coimbatore. “This is the first time we’re operating to Pampa from Coimbatore. New buses with pneumatic doors will be deployed. We have got permit allocation from the Tamil Nadu government for operating the service,” an officer said.