KOCHI: The state-run KSRTC has now become the lifeline for commuters within city limits and suburbs after markets and offices resumed functioning on Tuesday. Since only a few private buses are out on the roads, despite the permission to operate services, passengers are forced to rely on KSRTC buses.Of the 1,840 private buses in the district, fewer than 50 have resumed service till now. In contrast, KSRTC on Tuesday operated around 70 additional services. The state carrier ran schedules even to those places where commuters rely on private buses.
“Till last week, we operated around 150-200 buses daily. From Tuesday, we are running more than 300 buses. We are running additional buses during the morning and evening rush hour particularly for employees. More schedules are run to the district collectorate, Infopark and the High Court,” said V M Thajudheen Sahib, district transport officer, KSRTC.
The number of passengers allowed in each bus is decided strictly on the basis of the vehicle’s seating capacity, with no standing travellers allowed. Also, safety of the crew is accorded top priority. “There is a minor improvement in the daily collection after KSRTC started fully-fledged operations in the district. Conductors are given face masks and they have been directed to use hand sanitisers frequently. The buses are disinfected and cleaned daily. It is a challenging time for our employees but everyone is engaged in efforts to ensure movement of passengers,” he said.
Besides, KSRTC is operating special services from airport and railway station. To transport Malayali expats who had flown back home, around 460 buses were operated from Kochi airport alone. Similarly, nearly 600 services were conducted from the railway station including those for transporting migrant workers. “Daily at least 10 buses are operated from each railway station. An equal number of services are operated from the airport,” he said.
M B Sathyan, president, Kerala Private Bus Operators’ Federation, said in the present scenario, resuming the service is hardly feasible. “At this fare, a bus incurs a daily loss of `2,000. The bus owner could well bear the loss for two-three days. But since there is no improvement in ticket collection, bus owners are forced keep off the road,” he said.
Similarly, the regulation about allowing passengers based on the seating capacity is another issue. “We are not demanding that the government should allow us to carry standing passengers. But passengers do not heed the advice of the crew When the police see standing passengers, they slap a `4,000 fine and register an FIR against the driver and the conductor,” he said.