KOCHI: Though the chief minister has announced that public transportation will be allowed partially from Thursday, private bus operators are yet to get clear instructions on conducting services. Kerala Private Bus Operators’ Federation (KPBOF) president, M B Sathyan, said that some of the private bus owners may conduct services in areas where there are relaxations from Thursday.
“The office-bearers of the association have left it to the bus owners to decide on restarting services. A majority of the bus operators have raised their concerns over lack of clarity on guidelines on relaxations based on TPR. For instance, even if they restart the service from an area that is under Category B, they will not be able to collect passengers from category C and D.
They cannot also stop buses in containment zones. We are almost clueless on such things and are waiting for clearer instructions in this regard,” he said. Sathyan said that diesel prices have touched the J94-mark. “The rise in fuel price is a big issue. The buses are allowed to run only with 30% of total passenger capacity and I don’t know how many bus operators will be ready to restart services in such a situation,” he further added.