Commuting within the city after the lockdown, even for employees of essential services, has not been hassle-free with route restrictions and strict vigil by the police. With public transport severely constrained, people working in essential services are now shifting to ride-pooling or carpooling.
B.M. Manjunath, PRO, BWSSB, said that he picks up his colleagues on the way to office and drops them back home every day. “It is also efficient asset utilisation amidst the lockdown. It is our informal arrangement. Most of who have been given official vehicles in our offices are doing it,” he said.
Prasad Babu, a resident of J.P. Nagar, who works in a bank in Bidadi said that three of his colleagues used to go by bus on normal days. “However, now we go together in one of our vehicles. As many roads are blocked within the city, we are made to take new routes. We are stopped by the police for checking at least twice a day,” he said.
Another official who travels to the city from Nelamangala for work said that he hitches a ride with his colleague. “We share the ride. It saves us money and energy and is safe,” he said.
A few offices and institutions, such as Victoria Hospital, have provided transportation facilities to their employees. “Apart from our hospital staff, we also pick up staff of the neighbouring Minto Eye Hospital and Vani Vilas Women and Children’s Hospital,” said Somashekar C., a driver at Victoria Hospital. He added that many, who otherwise used their private vehicles, are making use of the service now.
The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) has also been providing its vehicles to some departments. Kumar Pushkar, MD, KSTDC, said, “Our vans are being used to pick up and drop staff of essential services, mainly health department officials, from even Mandya and Tumakuru. Apart from that, BBMP has borrowed ten vehicles to pick-up homeless people and destitute persons off the streets.”
He also said that KSTDC was ready to provide its vans and even their buses to any department that needs their services. Officials of KSRTC also say that they were ready to provide their services if approached by any departments.
54 KSRTC buses to ferry pourakarmikas
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has borrowed 54 buses from the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to ferry pourakarmikas from their home to workplaces and back. Earlier, owing to the lockdown, hundreds of pourakarmikas were forced to walk to places of work with many not able to go to work as well.
Sarfaraz Khan, joint commissioner (solid waste management), BBMP, said the civic body had taken all the measures to maintain social distancing even inside buses. “This will also ensure that those pourakarmikas who could to report to duty due to lack of transport can now get back to work as free transport is made available,” he said.
Penchalamma, a pourakarmika and resident of C.V. Raman Nagar, said that she worked near Halasuru lake and often used to walk the distance to get there. “I have walked for more than 8 km per day just to get to work. Now that they have provided transportation, it saves our time, energy and money. They should have done it long ago,” she said.
Babu, president, BBMP Pourakarmika Sanghagala Okkuta, said that they had been demanding that BBMP provide transportation for pourakarmikas since the first day of the lockdown. “Better late than never. Without any pass or ID cards, pourakarmiaks struggled to get to the places of work,” he said.