BENGALURU: With a majority of private bus operators staying off the roads and railways running only skeletal services, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation is looking to increase its passenger revenue during the upcoming festive season.
The state-run bus corporation has recorded a decline in interstate passenger traffic since March due to the virus scare and the work-from-home option. However, KSRTC is now hoping that passenger traffic will go up due to festive demand, particularly during Dasara and Diwali. Normally, private bus operators used to increase fares during this season, but now most of them are not plying vehicles due to lukewarm demand.
KSRTC runs buses to Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Telangana. However, it is yet to resume services to TN and Puducherry as TN has not permitted inter-state bus services.
KSRTC is also not operating services between Bengaluru and Hyderabad due to a standoff over a reciprocal agreement between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana transport corporations. "TN is yet to give permission to operate buses. Bengaluru-Hyderabad buses have to pass through Andhra Pradesh and issues between those two states are expected to be resolved in a week. But we are running services from districts like Raichur, Yadgir and Bidar to Hyderabad," said BT Prabhakar Reddy, chief traffic manager, KSRTC.
Reddy said TN is yet to allow inter-state bus services. "We are now operating 50 buses daily from Bengaluru to Attibele (Karnataka-TN border). We have asked them to allow to operate our buses till Hosur stand, but they aren't ready," he added.
Reddy said earlier 10 lakh students used to travel a day but now schools and colleges are closed. "The number of pilgrims and tourists too has reduced because of the pandemic," he added.
KSRTC is hoping its ridership will go up by 20-30% between October 20 and November 15 due to festival rush. "But passenger movement continues to be less because of the virus scare," Reddy pointed out.
He said they have deployed additional buses from Ramanagara, Channapatna, Kolar and Tumakuru to cater to office-goers and workers in Bengaluru. "Earlier, commuters used to rely on trains but railways is operating only skeletal services. We are now focusing on routes between 50km-100km for such daily passengers," said Reddy.
Earlier, KSRTC used to operate 8,250 buses a day, but now it runs around 5,300 buses. "Ridership will go up only when Covid cases come down and also after a vaccine is available," said Reddy. He, however, added that KSRTC buses are safe to travel. "We sanitise the buses after every trip and also ensure all passengers wear masks," he said.
Fewer weekend travellers
Manoj Padikkal, a member of Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India, said: "We'll have to pay three months' MV tax in advance if we start services now. Most operators have decided to resume services only from January. We are mainly affected due to the work-from-home model as fewer software engineers are now travelling to their hometowns during weekends."
The state-run bus corporation has recorded a decline in interstate passenger traffic since March due to the virus scare and the work-from-home option. However, KSRTC is now hoping that passenger traffic will go up due to festive demand, particularly during Dasara and Diwali. Normally, private bus operators used to increase fares during this season, but now most of them are not plying vehicles due to lukewarm demand.
KSRTC runs buses to Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Telangana. However, it is yet to resume services to TN and Puducherry as TN has not permitted inter-state bus services.
KSRTC is also not operating services between Bengaluru and Hyderabad due to a standoff over a reciprocal agreement between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana transport corporations. "TN is yet to give permission to operate buses. Bengaluru-Hyderabad buses have to pass through Andhra Pradesh and issues between those two states are expected to be resolved in a week. But we are running services from districts like Raichur, Yadgir and Bidar to Hyderabad," said BT Prabhakar Reddy, chief traffic manager, KSRTC.
Reddy said TN is yet to allow inter-state bus services. "We are now operating 50 buses daily from Bengaluru to Attibele (Karnataka-TN border). We have asked them to allow to operate our buses till Hosur stand, but they aren't ready," he added.
Reddy said earlier 10 lakh students used to travel a day but now schools and colleges are closed. "The number of pilgrims and tourists too has reduced because of the pandemic," he added.
KSRTC is hoping its ridership will go up by 20-30% between October 20 and November 15 due to festival rush. "But passenger movement continues to be less because of the virus scare," Reddy pointed out.
He said they have deployed additional buses from Ramanagara, Channapatna, Kolar and Tumakuru to cater to office-goers and workers in Bengaluru. "Earlier, commuters used to rely on trains but railways is operating only skeletal services. We are now focusing on routes between 50km-100km for such daily passengers," said Reddy.
Earlier, KSRTC used to operate 8,250 buses a day, but now it runs around 5,300 buses. "Ridership will go up only when Covid cases come down and also after a vaccine is available," said Reddy. He, however, added that KSRTC buses are safe to travel. "We sanitise the buses after every trip and also ensure all passengers wear masks," he said.
Fewer weekend travellers
Manoj Padikkal, a member of Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India, said: "We'll have to pay three months' MV tax in advance if we start services now. Most operators have decided to resume services only from January. We are mainly affected due to the work-from-home model as fewer software engineers are now travelling to their hometowns during weekends."
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