Faced with a steep fall in income, fear is rife that the few private buses operating in Ernakulam are likely to keep off the road in the coming days.
Around 50 private buses had resumed service in mid-May after the State government permitted their operation and enhanced ticket fare by 50%, to compensate for a cap of up to 30 passengers in a bus.
“Bus operators are faced with two issues. There is not even minimal patronage for some trips, with the result that daily income is down to ₹3,000 or less, which is insufficient to meet even diesel expenses,” said K.B. Suneer, general secretary, Ernakulam District Private Bus Operators’ Association.
“On the other hand, the police charge case against us if they find one or two passengers standing while travelling. We thus have to pay ₹5,000 as fine. Even the existing services will have to be suspended if the situation prevails,” he added.
On its part, the KSRTC’s Ernakulam depot is operating 42 services on city, mofussil and inter-district routes. “Altogether, 45% of our buses are being run. This is apart from services operated from depots in suburban towns.
“Most services have inadequate patronage, although they can carry passengers as per their seating capacity. The only restriction is that passengers must not stand and travel,” said Tajudeen Sahib, Ernakulam zonal traffic officer, KSRTC.
Low-floor air-conditioned buses have not resumed service as a safety precaution, while non-AC low-floor buses are also not being run owing to their low fuel efficiency, it is learnt.
Mr. Sahib exhorted commuters to wear face mask and use hand sanitiser frequently while travelling. He also requested them to adhere to directions given by the bus crew.
“It has come to our notice that several passengers discard masks once they board buses. The KSRTC’s Ernakulam zone operated as many as 1,300 services to ferry people who arrived here in trains, flights, and on board ships. We also spared the services of 30 drivers to operate ambulances of the Health Department,” he said.
Several NGOs and individuals are supplying face masks for use by bus crew. Moreover, Fire and Rescue Services personnel are disinfecting interiors of buses every day, he added.
Shramik trains
Three Shramik Special trains operated from Ernakulam on Thursday, carrying migrant labourers bound for West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand. Many labourers turned up at the railway station, although their names did not figure in the list jointly prepared by the district administration, Labour and Health departments, and the police. They were turned back by the police.
“Only labourers who were brought in buses arranged by the district administration and whose names figured in the list were allowed to travel. They were also medically screened,” said a Railway official.