A new Sabarimala KSRTC special bus service from Piravom to Pamba was launched on November 15 to provide an additional travel option for pilgrims during the Mandala season. The service was flagged off by Minister Anoop Jacob at a ceremony held in Piravom.
The bus will operate between Pamba and Piravom via Koothattukulam, Pala, Ponkunnam and Erumeli. It will reach Piravom from Ernakulam at 7.30 pm before continuing on the pilgrimage route and is scheduled to arrive at Pamba at 11 pm.
For the return journey, the bus will leave Pamba at 4 am and travel through Erumeli and Koothattukulam before reaching Piravom at 7.30 am. The timetable is designed to connect Ernakulam and nearby towns with Pamba through a route that also serves Erumeli, an important transit point for Sabarimala pilgrims.
The special service was introduced against the backdrop of the start of the Sabarimala Mandala season, when demand for organised transport to the hill shrine rises. The service provides pilgrims from Piravom, Koothattukulam, Pala, Ponkunnam and Erumeli with a direct KSRTC option to Pamba, reducing the need to arrange separate connections along the route.
Piravom municipal chairperson K.R. Pradeep Kumar presided over the launch ceremony. Vice-chairperson Annamma Domi, standing committee chairpersons Arun Kallarakal, Jincy Raju, Valsala Varghese and Shibu Thomas, councillors and former councillors attended the event along with local leaders and KSRTC officials.
Among the transport representatives present were assistant transport officer A.T. Shibu, station master-in-charge K.B. Sundaran, Jose Mathew and members of the transport managing committee. The report did not specify the service frequency beyond the announced departure and arrival timings or provide details of fares and seat availability.
