As of 2026, the corporation has a fleet of more than 5500 buses consisting of buses from Volvo, Scania, Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors, Eicher Motors, BharatBenz and others. The vehicles owned by KSRTC are registered under a dedicated RTO at Thiruvananthapuram with a registration series KL-15.
Although KSRTC has a dedicated RTO (Regional Transport Officer) to register its fleet, all its buses have bonnet numbers (for internal identification) adjacent to the depot mark at the front of the vehicle. RPE981, a typical fleet number, can be split into three parts: RP, E and 981. RP indicates the vehicle series, derived from the word transport; each series contains 1,000 vehicles. During the 1960s, KSRTC began assigning the serial number T to its buses; R followed the first 1,000 buses, followed by A and so on until the P series. Repetitive letters and the letter O were exempted. Later, two-letter combinations were used to identify bus series. The 1,000th bus in each series is numbered with a multiple of 1,000, indicating the total number of buses introduced by the corporation.
The second part (E in the example) denotes the KSRTC workshop where the body work was done, and is absent on buses purchased fully built and outsourced bodywork. KSRTC owns five workshops: one central and four regional:
The third part is the vehicle number of the series. In addition to this system, a TE was assigned to 144 buses built in Edappal from 1997 to 2003. Their depot vehicles are numbered in a D series, and the oil tankers are numbered in a TT series. The corporation has several ambulances, numbered AV. Buses procured as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission are numbered JN. KSRTC Swift's buses are numbered in a KS series.
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2025 Fleet Modernisation
KSRTC inducted 143 new buses in 2025 as part of a major fleet modernisation. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flagged off the vehicles at a function in Anayara on 21 August 2025. These buses were divided into nine categories:
Ordinary
Link Bus
Fast Passenger
Super fast Premium
AC Seater
AC Seater cum Sleeper
AC Sleeper
AC Seater Multi axle
AC Sleeper Multi axle
Services
Long Distance Services
Gajaraj
Introduced in 2022, Gajaraj is KSRTC SWIFT's flagship service and is operated using eight Volvo 9400 B11R 15M AC sleeper buses. These buses are operated on routes between Kerala and Bengaluru.
Garuda Maharaja
Introduced in 2016, the Garuda Maharaja service uses Scania Metrolink HD 13.7-metre (45 ft) coaches. The buses have reclining seats with footrests and calf support, and radio and television in the front and centre. Water bottles and blankets are optional. Garuda Maharaja service is available on long-distance interstate routes.
Garuda King Class
This is a premium service, introduced in 2014, on air-conditioned Euro III Volvo 9400 XL B9R multi-axle buses with amenities similar to Garuda Maharaja.
Garuda A/C Seater
Introduced in 2022, these are premium air-conditioned interstate services operated by KSRTC Swift. BS6 Ashok Leyland semi-sleeper buses with bodies built by Prakash are used for this service.
Minnal
Minnal is a long-distance, limited-stop deluxe high speed night buses which use bypass roads to avoid traffic and save time. It is one of the most popular services among the KSRTC fan groups. The 41-seat, red-and-white buses (with lightning bolts) have 2+2 reclining seats and rear-axle air suspension. The service was introduced in June 2017, under managing director M. G. Rajamanikyam. Its color scheme was chosen to enhance nighttime visibility. The buses are built in-house on Ashok Leyland 160 hp Viking 222’’ (ALPSV 4/186) BS III and Tata LPO 1512c EX/58 BS III air suspension chassis.
Super Deluxe Air Bus
Super Deluxe Air Buses are non-air conditioned, white buses with streaks of tri-color on the sides can charge mobile phones and laptops, and have rear-axle air suspension. They are built on Ashok Leyland and Tata chassis. All passengers are guaranteed a seat. The KSRTC's oldest deluxe service operates between Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram. Started in 1967, it was part of the 1969 film Kannur Deluxe (the service's nickname). Large parts of the film were shot inside a bus.
Newer Deluxe buses, called Swift Deluxe Air Bus, are operated by KSRTC Swift and feature an orange livery.
Sabari Air Bus
Sabari Air Bus was introduced in 2016 as a service for Sabarimala pilgrims. The buses have a forest-themed livery to increase awareness of the environmentally-sensitive Periyar National Park. The buses (with facilities and fares similar to deluxe buses) also run throughout Kerala and interstate, and are built on Ashok Leyland BS III Viking 160 hp (ALPSV 4/186) and Tata LPO 1512c EX/58 BS III air-suspension chassis.
Super Express Air Bus
Super Express Air Buses have green-and-yellow colour scheme, with inspiration from Chundan Vallam. It have deluxe features at a lower fare. Super Express buses have more stops than deluxe buses, and standees are permitted. The fleet includes buses built in-house on Ashok Leyland 160 hp Viking 222 BS III (ALPSV 4/186) and Tata LPO 1512c EX/58 BS III air-suspension chassis.
A/C Premium Super Fast
Introduced in 2024, this service is operated using 40 seat Tata Marcopolo A/C buses.
Super Fast Passenger (SFP)
Super Fast services are non-air-conditioned buses with a 3+2 seat configuration which operate on long, intercity routes. Super Fast buses, with fewer stops than Fast Passenger buses but more than Super Express, are built on Ashok Leyland, Tata and Eicher chassis. The service began in early 1992 as an improvement of the Fast Passenger service.
Limited Stop Super Fast services
This service do not enter all depots along their routes, unlike regular Super Fast services. These services were modeled after the successful Bypass Rider services, designed to offer faster travel by limiting number of stops.
In April 2025, a Super Fast bus, KS376, was retrofitted with an air-conditioning system on an experimental basis.
Fast Passenger
Fast Passenger service is a Non-air-conditioned, 3+2 service on intercity routes. FP routes have fewer stops than ordinary service. The buses are built on Tata, Ashok Leyland and Eicher chassis.
Limited Stop Fast Passenger (LSFP) They are Fast Passenger services which stop only at Super Fast stops.
Short Distance Services
Rajadhani Point-to-Point
Nonstop FP service in Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. Introduced in Thiruvananthapuram district as ring road service in 2012, it was introduced in the Malabar region (connecting Calicut to Wayanad and Palakkad districts) the following year.
Ordinary
KSRTC's most basic service. They have 3+2 or 2+2 seats. Older Super Class buses are usually converted and used for ordinary service.
Town-to-Town (TT)
TT service, charging ordinary fares with fewer stops, was introduced during the mid-1990s.
Limited Stop Ordinary Ordinary buses with fewer stops, introduced during the mid-1990s.
AC Low Floor Bus
KSRTC operates air-conditioned, low-floor buses on city and intercity routes. These Volvo 8400 B7RLE buses were acquired under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Non-AC Low-Floor/Semi-Low-Floor Bus
KSRTC operates non-air-conditioned buses (purchased under the JNNURM Phase 2) on short routes. The low-floor Ashok Leyland RESLF BS III, Ashok Leyland 225 hp 12M FESLF and Tata Starbus Urban 9/12 BS III built on 1618 SLF by Marcopolo and ACGL buses stop at all Fast Passenger stops.
Anantapuri/Thiru Kochi/Malabar/Venad
Blue-and-white City Fast buses in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kollam and the Malabar region. These are limited-stop ordinary/ordinary services. These buses have two doors, a one-piece windshield, an all-steel body, a seating capacity of 53, and a low footboard. The bodies were built in-house.
Double-Decker Services
KSRTC operates two Ashok Leyland Titan (BS III 123 kW) double-decker buses with bonnet numbers RN766 and RN765. These buses are being used for "Royal View" sightseeing service in Munnar.
Apart from these, KSRTC also operates four open top Switch EiV22 City electric double decker buses on its city tour service, two in Thiruvananthapuram, and one each in Thrissur and Kozhikode.
Travancore State Transport Department superintendent E. G. Salter imported double-decker buses in 1937. KSRTC also used one of the original AEC Routemasters in Kochi on a route from Palarivattom to Willingdon Island from the 1960s to the late 1970s. A court, faced with non-payment by the KSRTC, ordered the seizure of the Kochi double-decker until the debt was paid.
Thiruvananthapuram originally had 15 British Leyland double-decker buses, serially numbered from DD1 to DD15, with bodies built at KSRTC Central Workshop in Thiruvananthapuram. The buses had a semi-automatic transmission, with no clutch. The last five buses were moved to Eranakulam district. KSRTC launched two double-decker buses (serial numbers TR555 and TR666) during the 1990s.
City Services
Thiruvananthapuram City Circular
Launched in 2021, the Thiruvananthapuram City Circular is a bus service operated by KSRTC in Thiruvananthapuram. The service operates on circular routes covering all the major parts of the city. The buses ply every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during off-peak hours. The fare is INR 10 per trip and INR 30 for a whole day trip. Initially, the service was operated using old JNNURM Ashok Leyland and Tata low-floor buses. Later, electric PMI Regio and Eicher Skyline Pro E buses were also introduced.
Thiruvananthapuram City Shuttle
Launched in 2022, as a service for commuters from the peripheral centers of the city to the center. The city shuttle service run round the clock from 7am to 7pm. It is integrated with the circular services, to help commuters travel to other parts of the city. City Shuttle Routes are between Thampanoor to Neyyatinkara, Nemom, Pallichal, Pravachambalam. Plans exist for new routes from the city to Mudavanmugal, Malayinkeezhu, Karakulam, Vattappara, Kazhakuttam, Sreekaryam, Kaniyapuram, Pothencode, Akkulam, Anayara, Veli, Kulathoor, Kovalam and Poovar
Other Services
Sandeshavahini
Super Fast buses with water-conservation messages (sandeshavahini means "messenger" in Malayalam), pamphlets, posters, and other publicity materials for distribution KSRTC introduced the service in March 2017 with 15 buses, one for each district (except Thiruvananthapuram, which has two). The bus bodies were fabricated at KSRTC's Edappal regional workshop on Eicher 20.15 N LPO BS III and Ashok Leyland BS III 160 hp Viking 222 (ALPSV 4/186) chassis.
LNG buses
KSRTC launched its first LNG bus service on 21 June 2021 in order to reduce the operational losses and to promote an energy source considered to be far less damaging to the environment.
Discontinued services
Terraplane
KSRTC's flagship luxury service during the 1970s operated nonstop between Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Introduced by transport minister R. Balakrishna Pillai, buses had onboard toilets and a reservation system. Two Ashok Leyland buses with bonnet numbers A555, A666 and a super-deluxe bus (numbered 4000) were used for the service, which was discontinued due to a high accident rate.
Lightning Express
Long distance, limited-stop service during the 1990s. The silver buses were later converted to Volvos.
White Express
Red-and-white buses which operated during the 1990s
Silver Line Jet
Introduced in 2015 as a successor to the Lighting Express, the limited-stop intrastate service had reclining seats, a CCTV camera, Wi-Fi, and charging facilities for laptops and mobile phones. It was discontinued due to low ridership, reportedlu caused by lack of air suspension and high fares. The 41-seat buses were fabricated in-house on Ashok Leyland BS III 160 hp Viking 222" (ALPSV 4/186) and Eicher 20.15 N LPO BS III chassis.
Pink Bus
KSRTC launched the women-only city fast service in Thiruvananthapuram district in 2017. The buses had women conductors. Two old Ashok Leyland 160 hp Viking BS III 222" (ALPSV 4/186) pink super-fast buses were used for the service. However, the buses failed to attract passengers.
Minibus
KSRTC's minibus service, introduced in 2003, was the first of its kind in India. With a capacity of 25 to 30 seats, the buses were ideal for some routes and stopped at passenger request. The service was discontinued due to bus-durability concerns.
Ananthapuri Air Bus
Introduced in 2005 in Thiruvananthapuram, the service was a predecessor of low-floor buses. With two doors and a long body, the buses could carry almost twice as many passengers as other buses. Intended for tourists, the semi-low floor (635mm), rear engine, non-air-conditioned bus by Ashok Leyland Panther chassis (ALPS 3/22) had a body built by Irizar – TVS. With H-series turbocharged engines conforming to BS-II emission standards the 42 seater buses also had front and rear air suspension. KSRTC had a total 4 of them with serial numbers RT599, RT600, RT601, and RT602. These buses had dark blue lines on white background paintjob.
Garuda Sanchari
KSRTC operated bi-axle Volvo buses in its Garuda Sanchari service (sanchari means "passenger" in Malayalam). The service was introduced by K. B. Ganesh Kumar in 2002. The first vehicles, two Volvo Euro III B7R Mark1 (TP620 and TP621) were the first Volvo buses introduced by a road transport corporation in India. One bus operated on the Thiruvananthapuram –Palakkad route and the other operated on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikkode route until 2008. In 2008, KSRTC acquired three Volvo 9400 B7R Mark III buses.
AC Air Deluxe
A short-lived air-conditioned service was launched in 2005 after the first Volvo buses. There were 10 buses: five Tata (built by Popular) and five Ashok Leyland, built by Irizar TVS. The Tata buses were built on LPO 1616/62 BS-II chassis with engine-driven (direct-drive) air-conditioning, and the AL chassis were 177 hp 12M BS-II (ALPSV 4/86) with air-conditioning driven by a slave engine.
At the end of 2007, KSRTC added 20 Tata Globus 45 buses to its fleet. The buses with tri-colour streaks on a white background, had reclining seats and recharging facilities for mobile phones.
Articulated buses
KSRTC owned an Ashok Leyland Vestibule (BS III 123 kW) bus, which operated in Thiruvananthapuram district and Kollam district. Passengers paid ordinary fares. This bus was gutted in a fire.
Trailer buses had Ashok Leyland tractor units and Allwyn trailers.
Subsidiaries
Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation
In November 2014, Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) was formed to operate low-floor buses procured with financial assistance from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
KSRTC SWIFT
KSRTC SWIFT (K-SWIFT) is a company formed on 9 November 2021 by KSRTC with an aim to overcome the financial crisis faced by the corporation. K-SWIFT function independently within the KSRTC and operates the long-distance buses of the corporation.
