KOCHI: While many private buses are back on road after Covid restrictions were eased, their numbers have reduced considerably. KSRTC is yet to commence full-fledged service of low-floor buses. Many daily wage workers have been left in the lurch as they cannot depend on private buses
Ever since the Covid pandemic outbreak, things downhill for public transportation, especially buses that used to ply in the city crowded with commuters. With reduced services, fewer commuters and mounting debt, private bus owners are struggling to stay afloat.
“Only 45 per cent of the total buses are currently operational. The situation is very grim. While some routes have a decent number of passengers, many others are running on a huge loss. After a full day of service and paying the salary of employees, all that is left is `400. The remaining 55 per cent of buses are still lying idle,” said M B Sathyan, president, Kerala Private Bus Operators’ Federation (KPBOF)
Most bus owners are now pinning their hopes on the government’s promise to exempt buses frrom stage carriage tax for the April-June quarter, now expected to be extended till September. “We want the government to extend the waiver on stage carriage tax and road tax till December. More than 12,000 private buses have withdrawn from service due to heavy loss in the wake of poor patronage. Many of us have also submitted Form G to avoid the cancellation of bus permits,” he said.
Commuters who are wary of close contact while travelling on a bus, are opting to take cabs or private vehicles, making things worse. “The government has a big role to play in this too. Since the pandemic outbreak, it has been instilling fear in the minds of people against public transport. Now, many companies are demanding their employees travel in private vehicles if they want to keep their jobs. While many bought vehicles availing loans, others are hiring tempo travellers in groups to ensure safe travel. The future looks bleak for public transport,” said Chandran.
JUSTICE RAMACHANDRAN COMMISSION REPORT
Mounting losses and skyrocketing fuel prices, private bus owners are calling for the implementation of the Justice Ramachandran Commission Report submitted during the pandemic outbreak.
“The report aims to protect public transport by restructuring many aspects. From managing student’s concessions to offering financial support, the report has many helpful suggestions that can help us sustain. Despite the crisis, the government has not implemented the recommendations. It takes almost Rs 2 lakh to get a bus back on the road after it has stayed idle for long,” he said.Bus owners also want the state to utilise the motor transport workers welfare fund to revive the industry.
“Before Covid outbreak, we had a daily collection of Rs 9,000 and the diesel was priced at Rs 66 per litre. Now, we make only Rs 4,500 and the fuel costs Rs 95 per litre. The motor transport workers welfare fund has nearly Rs 3,000 crore paid by owners and employees of private buses in the state over the years. The state should use it to revive the sector and provide interest-free loans to bus owners,” said K B Suneer, general secretary, Ernakulam District Private Bus Operators Association.
Low-floor buses yet to resume services
Though it has rolled out the super-fast and intercity services, KSRTC is yet to restart low floor bus services in full capacity in Kochi, owing to the fear of Covid transmission.
“We are currently running a dozen of non-AC low-floor services on the Ernakulam-Kozhikode route. We haven’t resumed AC bus services because ventilation is a problem,” said an official. At the KURTC Thevara deport, 190 AC low-floor buses are currently lying idle for almost a year now. There are high chances that most of the units have developed technical glitches.
“We are hoping to introduce more non-AC buses in Kochi as there is decent patronage. The same goes for Thiruvananthapuram. For now, there are enough commuters during peak hours only. So we are planning to commence additional services after assessing route-based demand,” added the official.
Demand for transport policy
Industry stakeholders also want a detailed transport policy to be formulated.
“The state is mooting a plan to take up bus permits in routes longer than 140km. Around 2,000 private buses will be directly affected by the move. A five year buffer time ahead of the takeover would have helped, but sudden decisions like these will disrupt the sector. Ironically, KSRTC couldn’t manage permits of many superfast routes due to the lack of functional fleets. If the government can come up with a transport policy, all these issues can be addressed. We need both KSRTC and private buses in Kerala. A healthy co-existence is the way forward,” said Sathyan.