Transport sector in Bengaluru comes to standstill yet again, auto drivers say future bleak

The state government has also allowed the operation of cabs and autorickshaws but only towards the railway station or the airport, a senior officer told The New Indian Express
Commuters rush into a BMTC bus without maintaining social distancing at the a bus stop on Ambedkar Veedhi Road in Bengaluru on Thursday | Nagaraja Gadekal
Commuters rush into a BMTC bus without maintaining social distancing at the a bus stop on Ambedkar Veedhi Road in Bengaluru on Thursday | Nagaraja Gadekal

BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has decided to suspend its services from July 15 till July 21. The buses will be used for essential purposes only, the corporation said in a statement. The corporation has decided to run 134 essential services in Bengaluru excluding containment zones. The services will be run between 7 am to 7 pm.

Those who are part of the essential services include government staff, police, doctors, health professional, ASHA workers, bankers, media personnel, and students who are to write their examinations. They will be allowed to travel after the purchase of monthly, weekly or daily passes. Weekly and daily passes will be issued by the bus conductor himself for Rs 300 and Rs 70 respectively. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) services have also been suspended.

The inter-state and intra-state movement of passenger vehicles is allowed only in cases of emergencies or for permitted activities. “The movement is through the registration/obtaining valid pass through Seva Sindhu portal,” the guideline said.

The lockdown has brought the transport sector in Bengaluru urban and Bengaluru rural to yet another standstill, however, this time, allowing flights and trains to function. The state government has also allowed the operation of cabs and autorickshaws but only towards the railway station or the airport, a senior officer told The New Indian Express.

Cab aggregators Uber and Ola have confirmed to TNIE that their services will be made available following the state government’s guidelines of essential travel. “This is bringing in more hardships
for us. We are already struggling with no customers, now with one week of total lockdown, we are lost. How do we feed our families?” said Madhava, an autorickshaw driver.

While several drivers are yet to receive the Rs 5,000 one-time compensation from the state government, cab and auto drivers say the future seems bleak. “I was informed that due to technical issues, I cannot receive the compensation since my mobile number is not linked to my Aadhaar card. But the bank says otherwise. I am stuck with no other means to survive. I have debts to pay too,” says Mushraff Khan, another auto driver.

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