KOCHI: The second Covid wave has hit them hard, but private bus operators have decided to continue their services. According to them, “survival is the key” and shutting down services at this juncture will only serve to deepen the crisis.
While bus services were restored after a four-month break during the lockdown last year, private operators were struggling to get services back to pre-Covid levels when the second wave started in April.
“After services resumed last year, the average collection of buses has fallen to Rs 200 per trip. But things improved slightly in the first three months this year with buses starting to get a minimum of Rs 500 per trip. That meagre increase didn’t benefit bus owners as diesel prices have skyrocketed,” said Kerala Private Bus Operators’ Federation (KPBOF) president M B Sathyan.
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For the past one-and-a-half weeks, most of the buses— now allowed to conduct services without standing passengers — are getting very few passengers.“But shutting down services will only deepen the crisis. People, especially those in rural areas, have no option but private buses to reach nearby towns for urgent needs. Closing down services will affect them. The bus owners too will incur additional expenses as repair charges if the buses are kept idle for several days,” he added.
Seek tax concession, diesel subsidy
The bus operators have requested the state government for relaxation in vehicle tax and diesel subsidy for April, May and June. “We hope the situation will improve in the next three months,” Sathyan said.
Meanwhile, bus workers said collection has fallen even during peak morning and evening hours.“Now, with Saturdays and Sundays deemed holidays, most buses won’t conduct services for two days,” said Shani K M, the driver of a bus plying on the Fort Kochi-Kakkanad route.