KSRTC's fleet number: Demystified

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is perhaps the only transport corporation in India to have a very unique system of fleet numbering. Not just fleet number, the corporation has its own RTO mark as well. All KSRTC buses are registered with the mark KL-15 - which is exclusive for KSRTC buses. In Tamil Nadu, the buses are registered at the district headquarters, with the series "TN-XX-N-nnnn". In Karnataka, its KA-xx-F-nnnn, its AP-xx-Z-nnnn in Andhra Pradesh, GA-yy-X-nnnn in Goa, and so on.

Very little state corporations assign an internal number to their buses. Tamil Nadu's SETC has a numbering system, while Mumbai's BEST also has a system. However, the most unique is perhaps of Kerala SRTC. The image below shows a sample of KSRTC's numbering system:


The number in the image above reads "RRC411". This number is divided into three parts as show below:
RR C 411

In the breakup above, RR is a "series", "C" indicates the workshop which built this bus, and "411" is the serial number. That is, this is 441st bus in RR series.

How did KSRTC derive "RR" series: To get series, KSRTC uses the alphabets in the word "TRANSPORT". Initial buses were numbered "T nnn", then "R nnn", and so on till "P nnn". After "P", they started "TR". This went on till "TP". After TP came, RT, then RR. The current series is "RA".

The workshops that build bodies for KSRTC are:
C - Central Workshop, Pappanamcode, Thiruvananthapuram
M - Regional Workshop, Mavelikkara
A - Regional Workshop, Aluva
E - Regional Workshop, Edappal
K - Regional Workshop, Kozhikode

KSRTC numbers its buses between 001 and 999 in each series. Currently, one can see buses in the TN, TS, TP, RT, RR and RA series on the road. Buses build by companies other than KSRTC would not have the third alphabet in the numbering system. For example, the volvos currently owned by KSRTC are RA100, RA101 and RA102.

The series used till date are: T, R, A, N, S, P, TR, TA, TN, TS, TP, RT, RR, RA and RN. In addition, a TE series existed for a short time (these were buses built by Regional Workshop, Edappal). Their depot vehicles are numbered in "D" series, while the Oil Tankers are numbered in "TT" series. After the 999th bus in each series, the 1000th bus is numbered as such - in case of RR series, the last bus is numbered 15000 - this bus marks the 15000th bus for KSRTC.
The bus in this image is the 13000th bus owned by KSRTC. This bus was between the RT and RR series.
Some examples: RAM540 - this is the 540th bus in the RA series of KSRTC, with the body built by Regional Workshop, Mavelikkara. Similarly, RAA427 - this is the 427th bus of RA series, built by Regional Workshop, Aluva.

Comments

Anonymous said…
PMPML (Pune's city transport, for the uninitiated) too has a fleet numbering system. All buses have an internal number since a long time. Recently they introduced more details. Eg: BS-2/L/04. This indicates that the bus complies with BS-2 emission norms, is of Leyland make (L is replaced by T for Tata buses), and is manufactured in 2004.
The City Buses of Chennai Metro is uniquely numbered for more than a decade.

AMH799 refers to H Series 799 belonging to the depot of Ambattur (AM).

Previously there are only 2 alphabets. NG099 N=Tiruvottiyur Depot G Series 099.

Later the codes of the depot extended to 2 digit Alphabet directly denoting the Depot. At present there are 20 Depots within the City and we can findout from the Fleet number, to which depot the bus belongs to.

The Series Starts from A (1971) and now running with I, having each fleet of 1000 Buses. But the Series I is continuing without any break and now it crossed 3000 mark.

This is for your info.