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Government of Kerala | Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has achieved a significant national milestone by launching India’s first digital cloakroom system among road transport corporations. Aimed at modernizing public transport and enhancing passenger convenience, the system replaces traditional manual registers with a fully digital, technology-driven platform for luggage storage.
Key features of the new system include:
Digital Security: Luggage is managed using unique digital tokens or QR codes, which streamline the deposit and retrieval process while virtually eliminating the risk of misplacement.
Phase-I Rollout: The facility is currently operational at nine major KSRTC depots: Thiruvananthapuram Central, Ernakulam, Aluva, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, Munnar, Angamaly, and Kottayam.
Enhanced Monitoring: The cloakrooms are fortified with CCTV surveillance and accurate digital data recording, ensuring a safe and reliable environment for travelers’ belongings.
Future Expansion: Following the initial phase, KSRTC plans to scale this facility to more bus stations across the state to ensure a uniform, passenger-friendly travel experience.
What is a ‘Digital Cloakroom’ in public transport? It is an automated baggage storage facility that replaces handwritten paper slips with a digital interface. Passengers receive a QR code or an SMS-based token upon depositing their bags. The system automatically tracks storage duration and security via cloud-based data logs, allowing for “anytime” retrieval with high precision and integrated security monitoring, reducing human error and long queues typical of manual systems.
Policy Relevance
This initiative aligns with India’s broader Digital India and Smart Cities missions, setting a new benchmark for State Transport Undertakings (STUs) across the country.
Strategic Impact for India:
Modernizing Public Utilities: Kerala’s model provides a scalable blueprint for other state road transport corporations to digitize physical infrastructure, moving beyond just digital ticketing.
Boosting Tourism Mobility: By providing secure luggage storage in hubs like Munnar and Alappuzha, the policy directly supports the tourism economy by enabling “luggage-free” local transit for travelers.
Operational Efficiency: Automation reduces the administrative burden on KSRTC staff and minimizes financial leakages associated with manual receipt-based systems.
Data-Driven Urban Planning: The digital recording of luggage movement provides valuable metadata on passenger flow and peak usage times, which can inform future bus station design and service frequency.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How will the Kerala Government ensure that the digital cloakroom system remains accessible to senior citizens or travelers without smartphones, who may find QR-code-only interfaces challenging to navigate?
Follow the full news here: KSRTC Introduces Indias First Digital Cloakroom