With economic activities reviving and restrictions on movement, particularly of public transport services, being relaxed slowly, bus services to rural areas by the Hubballi Division of the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) are gradually picking up.
The Hubballi Division of NWKRTC has been running bus services to rural areas for the last four days and barring in villages that have reported a high number of COVID-19 positive cases, villagers are gradually choosing public transportation for reaching hoblis, towns, taluks and district headquarters for their work.
Divisional Controller of Hubballi Division H. Ramanagoudar told The Hindu on Tuesday that with restrictions on the number of passengers to be allowed per bus being removed on Wednesday, they hoped that things would improve further. Till date only 30 passengers were allowed to travel on a bus.
Mr. Ramanagoudar said that with relaxations being removed now, “we will be able to run buses with full capacity”. However, passengers will not be allowed to travel standing.
“We have received good patronage so far in Kalghatgi, Kundgol and Annigeri areas. However, there are very few people travelling in Navalgund taluk as the number of positive cases there has been high,” he added.
He clarified that only passengers wearing masks will be allowed to board buses and drivers and conductors had been asked to mandatorily sanitise buses in the morning and in the evening. As of now, rural buses are being run in the mornings and evenings. “We are also running buses in the afternoons based on demand on some routes,” he said.
Hubballi Division of NWKRTC provides bus services to 221 villages in its area of operation and now, bus services to 182 villages have been resumed. It plans to resume operations to the other villages too.