THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two days after a bus carrying school students on a tour met with a major accident near Palakkad, cancellations were reported across the state on Friday. The impact of the tragedy and the extent of compromise on safety standards have made the parents and the school authorities to cancel the trips.
The cancellations on a usually busy Friday indicates this year’s school tour operations will remain subdued for the rest of the season, according to the bus operators. There were also instances in which the tour had to be cancelled as the Motor Vehicle Department found rule violation during its statewide crackdown on illegal buses on Friday.
The major school tour seasons runs from October 1 to the first week of December. An amusement park in the state saw more than 75% cancellations on Friday. A major private school in Thiruvananthapuram cancelled all 10 buses it had booked for the tour.
“It will take at least three months for the parents to start thinking about tours again. By then, the main tour season will be over,” said Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA) general secretary S Prasanthan. According to him, the bus industry has suffered due to the activities of 10% of operators, who compromised on the safety aspects.
The Vadakkanchery accident has dealt a heavy blow to the industry, which has been recovering from the slowdown caused by Covid. The fleet of big buses has come down by 2,000 to around 4,000 after the pandemic. A bus operator complained that the unhealthy competition in the industry made him quit the business.
“There is great demand for buses with flashy lights and big sound system. The big players corner most of the business. We get work for two-three days in a week whereas they operate on all days,” he said. The MVD officials pointed out that the students look out for buses with extra lights and sound for tours.
TOUR DETAILS
School tour: 2-3 days
Major destinations
Ooty, Kodaikanal, Wayanad, Munnar, Athirapally -Vazhachal, Vagamon, Parunthumpara
College tour: 6-7 days
Major destinations
Hyderabad, Mysore, Goa, Chikkamagaluru
Season for trips from educational institutions
October 1 to December 1st week
December 22-February 28