Panaji: Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTC) earned Rs 60 lakh during this festive week, said chairperson Ulhas Tuyekar on Wednesday.To manage the surge in commuter movement during Ganesh Chaturthi 2026, KTC deployed special services in two primary phases – from Sept 11 to 13 and from Sept 16 to 20. During this period, the corporation operated over trips utilising a fleet of 78 regular buses alongside 30 additional buses, comprising AC Sleeper, Volvo, Luxury and Semi-Luxury coaches. These operations facilitated travel for over 9,000 passengers across interstate routes including Mumbai Central, Borivali, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Shirdi, Kolhapur and Belagavi, among others.Tuyekar’s statement comes even as interstate bus services were disrupted last week, leaving several passengers stranded at Margao bus stand.Tuyekar attributed the problems to traffic congestion on highways.“People are stuck in traffic and not able to reach their destinations smoothly. In heavily congested areas, it takes up to 10 minutes for a bus to travel short distances. Commuters often attribute delays to Kadamba’s operational deficiencies, but the primary culprit remains city-wide traffic jams and flyover construction work,” he said.On KTC’s financial health and profitability, Tuyekar said that while employee salaries are supported by govt funding, internal revenue generated from operations directly covers essential overheads, including fuel (diesel), spare parts, tyres and general bus maintenance.“Despite rising operational and fuel costs, we have prioritised commuter affordability by keeping passenger fares stable for the past seven years, unlike neighbouring states that have repeatedly revised ticket prices upward,” he said.“We recently introduced new services on routes like Ganpatipule, Solapur, Kolhapur and Pune. Moving forward, the corporation plans to induct around 30 additional new diesel buses to strengthen long-distance connectivity to places such as Bengaluru, Davanagere, Chikkodi and Ratnagiri,” he added.
