North West Karnataka Transport Corporation buses started plying from Belagavi central bus stand on Tuesday, after nearly 55 days of lockdown.
The passengers were being screened after being let in through a single entrance at the backside. Their temperature is being recorded and their complete details including name, address and mobile number are being noted down. Once the passenger gets on the bus, the conductor sprays sanitiser on his/her hands. The bus fare remains the same.
Around 275 buses have been deployed to connect taluks and districts from Belagavi. This is around 25 per cent of the buses that usually ply.
Around 30 per cent of city buses have started too. Services to all areas have resumed, except the lone containment zone of Sadashiv Nagar. Similar procedure is being followed in the city bus stand, though the officials were struggling to manage the crowd. Officers said they would wait for instructions from the KSRTC senior officials before deciding to increase the number of routes.
A limited number of autorickshaws are on the roads. Traffic police said there were barricades on some roads that would be taken down in a day or two.