KOCHI:  In the wake of the alleged attack on passengers by the employees of Kallada Travels, the City Police Commissioner on Friday issued a set of guidelines to be followed by bus operators and employees to ensure the safety of passengers. The guidelines were issued after the Kochi City Police held a meeting with 50 tourist and inter-state bus service operators at the Commissioner office.

The employees of Kallada Travels allegedly attacked the passengers travelling to Bengaluru on April 21, following an argument after the bus was delayed due to a snag near Harippad. As many as seven persons were arrested by the police after one of the passengers uploaded videos of the incident on Facebook.

“Over 200 tourist buses on contract with various institutions to pick and drop employees are operating in Kochi. Similarly, over 50 inter-state private buses are operating from Kochi city. The Motor Vehicles Department has issued guidelines to these buses. But to ensure the safety of passengers, the police decided to come up with separate guidelines that should be strictly followed by the operators and employees. The police will frequently conduct checking to ensure all operators are following the guidelines,” an officer with Kochi City Police Commissioner office said.

City Police Commissioner S Surendran directed bus drivers and employees should obtain a Police Clearance Certificate testifying that they are not involved in any criminal cases. The certificate should be obtained from the police station near the permanent residence of the employee. Bus operators should ensure all the employees possess the certificate.

The address and phone number of all the bus drivers and employees should be maintained by the bus operators. The name, address and duty of each employee should be clearly exhibited inside the bus. The buses operating on a contract basis for companies should exhibit details about time and destination to pick and drop staffers.

The bus operators and their employees should behave well with passengers and any complaint about misbehaviour will attract legal action. The bus owner will be held responsible if any complaint is received from the passengers against the employees. The bus drivers and employees should not be permitted to operate buses after consuming alcohol. Illegal transportation of goods in such buses will also attract a police case. In the meeting, tourist and inter-state bus operators promised to take all steps to ensure the safety of passengers.