Middle-class ditch buses, buy used cars instead

KHAMMAM: 2020 has undoubtedly been a tough year for all, irrespective of our differences. While it is an unarguable fact that the Covid-19 outbreak has had a telling effect on all the sectors, pushing the economy to the brink while rendering many jobless, those who sell secondhand/used vehicles have started finding a steady increase in their business.

With more and more people coming forward to buy their own vehicles, owing to the fear of using public transportation systems during the prevailing pandemic situation, the owners of used vehicle showrooms in erstwhile Khammam district say that they have recorded an increase of at least 40 per cent in sales this year.According to second-hand car showroom owners, takers are more for cars that cost between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. 

In a trend like never before, even the lower middle-class families have started purchasing used vehicles thinking that it is no more safe to travel by buses or other public transport vehicles. Speaking to Express, the owner of a second-hand car showroom in Kothagudem said, before the outbreak of Covid, the maximum number of vehicles we used to sell a month was two. However, this trend has completely changed and we are now selling at least five to eight vehicles every month. 

Even the sale of motorbikes have gone up exponentially and sources said that there has been an increase of at least 50 per cent in bike sales. Meanwhile, showroom owners attribute this trend to the rising number of Covid cases in the erstwhile district and how a few people who travelled in cabs and autos recently contracted the virus from these vehicles, spreading panic among denizens.

K Ravikiran, belonging to Khammam town, said: “I used to travel around 50 km every day on buses to attend to my duties. But it is not safe for me. I have to think of my wife and two small children. It is not safe for them.  Taking a note of this, I recently purchased a second-hand car for Rs 1.25 lakh.”