Private bus owners operating stage carriers in the State are not too keen on resuming services until they are allowed to operate to full capacity of seats and on inter-district routes.
The bus operators say that the lockdown has pushed them into a crisis situation and despite not being able to operate buses, they have had to pay road tax, salaries to staff and ensure proper maintenance of the vehicles. Many of them say that they have been paying at least 50% salaries to retain experienced staff and crew.
“As things stands now, we are prepared to wait till the government decides to allow 100% occupancy and inter-district public transport. We have conveyed our sentiments to the government orally,” said a private bus operator, who claimed that at least three states in the country have allowed bus services with full occupancy.
He observed that operating with restricted seat occupancy would not be economically viable, given the cost of fuel and other overheads. “Considering the political sensitivity of the issue, a fare hike is ruled out, next year being an election year.” he said pressing for government support in other ways.
Conceding that bus operators were under severe financial strain, D.R.Dharmaraj, Secretary, Federation of Bus Operators Associations of Tamil Nadu, observed that government support was essential to bail out the operators. The 2000-odd members of the federation operate about 4,600 stage carriers in the State except in a few districts such Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.
He pointed out that the price of diesel, which was around ₹ 65 prior to the lockdown, has now risen to ₹80 a litre. “The fuel price has to be brought down by reducing the excise duty,” he said.
Many operators, he said, would not be in a position to pay the road tax for the second quarter of the year. “We have paid the tax for the first quarter even though the buses were off the roads for 75 days initially from March 25 and filed stoppage reports with the transport authorities. We resumed service on June 10 with restricted occupancy but most private buses went off the roads again soon as the government decided to allow services only within zones,” he pointed out.
With the omni bus operators, who operate services as contract carriages, taking the issue to the court, all private operators are hoping for a favourable verdict.
While the six-month moratorium on loan repayments is welcome, the additional interest that is sought to charged for during the period is another worrying factor. “The government should ensure that we are not forced to pay any additional interest on the outstanding for the extended term,” said Mr.Dharmaraj.
The association has also been lobbying with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority and insurance companies for extending the insurance cover on the vehicles corresponding to the number of days the buses were off the roads. Waiver of toll fee for six months has been another important demand put forth by the association.