KOCHI: The incident wherein two passengers were brutally manhandled by the employees of the Bangalore-bound Kallada Travels at Vyttila has put the focus on the safety of hundreds, including students, who depend on such services to go interstate. With more such complaints of misbehaviour and assaults pouring in, Kochi Express takes a look at the plight of frequent travellers and the stance of authorities in this regard.
A nightmare journey
For Maya Madhavan, a professor, a ride on a private traveller turned out to be a nightmare. She was travelling on a private bus from Tamil Nadu to Thiruvananthapuram when she had her periods. Maya had to relieve herself behind a lorry for the lack of other facilities. Hers is not an isolated tale. Rugmini Dinu, a student from Puducherry, has a similar experience.
She was on her way back home when the bus staff decided there wouldn't be a stop at Puducherry. They did not inform the lone passenger about this either. When the bus was on the Chennai-Trichy Highway, she woke up to realise the fact. When she raised the issue with the staff, they dropped her near Villupuram, saying that a nearby bus stop is just a walk away. Her father raised the issue with the company which settled the matters with an apology.
Facilities on paper
According to passengers, many facilities cited by a prominent bus ticketing platform as their USP is just on paper. "They claim to have GPS facilities. But, except for a few major players, most of them do not have this. As a result, we will be stuck at the road at midnight waiting for the bus which will be hours late," said Ashlin Mathew, a passenger.
She adds that non display of crew details is a major issue. "Many bus services do not prefer people who book via such online platforms. They prefer travel agents because they get the commissions. Passengers who book via such agents will get a better treatment," said Ashlin.Many also allege adjustments between crew members, wherein the booked seats are changed into another bus without informing the passengers. However, the office-bearers of the Kerala-Karnataka Interstate Bus Operators Association (KKISBOA) say they give importance to the welfare of passengers.
"As a growing industry, our priority is the passengers and their welfare. Every step we take will always be in accordance with that. What happened at Vyttilla was very unfortunate. We have always instructed our employees to display restraint to any provocation from passengers. We are definitely looking into the matter. But there is a limit to what the owners can do," said Manoj Padikkal, general secretary, KKISBOA.
While allegations are rife that there is an unholy nexus between public transport buses and private players, the KSRTC officials say there is little they can do with regard to conducting more inter-state services.
"We have been given permits to conduct a certain number of services. We can't do anything more in this regard as the decision has to come from the government level of both states. We do everything possible, like conduct special services during festival seasons," said a top official with the Zonal office of KSRTC in Kochi.
‘technical’ glitches
Francis Joy, a student from Kollam, has used the private service just once. However, the experience was enough to turn him off. Due to a technical error in the online booking site, his ticket from Kollam to Bengaluru was booked in the female slot. However, he considered settling the issue with the office members before boarding. During boarding, the bus had vacant seats and he requested a lady passenger to substitute her seat with his seat to which she agreed. However, the service provider refused to cooperate and when a heated argument followed, he was denied entry into the bus. Not only was he not able to board the bus, but the money was also not refunded.