The earliest predecessor of the Kerala State Road Transport

Corporation was the Travancore State Transport Department,

constituted by the King Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, with the
intent of reorganizing the transportation services of the former state.
E.G. Salter, Assistant Operating Superintendent of London Passenger
Transport Board, was appointed as Superintendent of the Transport
Department on 20 September 1937.[2][3] The Transport Department
grew with nationalisation of key interstate routes such
as ThiruvananthapuramKanyakumari route and the Palakkad
Coimbatore route.

The first fleet consisted of 60 Comet chassis fitted with Perkins diesel
engines, imported from England. The bodies of the buses were built
by the staff of the Travancore State Transport Department under the
supervision of the Superintendent. The model for the selection of
operating staff continues to be followed by the current operating staff.
The Transport Department gave preference in recruitment for those
who were likely to lose their private transport company jobs resulting
from the nationalization of ThiruvananthapuramKanyakumari route.
Thus the Transport Department began with a staff of about a hundred
graduates appointed as Inspectors and Conductors.

The State Motor Service was inaugurated by The King Chithira

Thirunal Balarama Varma on 20 February 1938. He and his kin were
the first passengers of the system on the inaugural trip;
Superintendent Salter was the driver of the bus. This bus, along with
the thirty-three other buses brought on road driving through
the Kowdiar Square was an attraction at that time.

Following the enactment of the Road Transport Corporation Act in

1950, the Government of Kerala formulated KSRTC rules in 1965 by
Section 44. The Transport Department was converted into an
autonomous corporation on 1 April 1965 and the Kerala State Road
Transport Corporation was formally established by the government of
Kerala by the notification dated 15 March 1965. KSRTC buses are the
registered under a dedicated RTO at Thiruvananthapuram with the
registration series KL-15.