KOCHI: Rakesh V M, a tourist bus operator from Thiruvananthapuram, is planning to sell his buses as scrap as the two-year crisis caused by the pandemic has forced him to look for other options to stay afloat and tide over the financial losses incurred.
“When compared to the first two waves, the third wave hit the industry really hard. Due to the Omicron scare, restrictions on the number of people allowed inside the buses and continuous checks by the police, the public was reluctant to travel. This affected the industry, that relied mostly on weddings and inter-state travels, further. I have a fleet of 24 tourist buses which have been remaining idle for two years in our parking spaces. I approached some buyers to sell my buses for scrap value. However, they are not ready to give a decent sum,” said Rakesh of Remya Tours and Travels Pvt Ltd.
Rakesh’s case is no exception as many of the tourist bus operators in the state have been left to fend for themselves. Many are selling their buses as scrap to tide over the loan default and taxes. Royson Joseph, a tourist bus operator from Kochi, was recently in the news as he planned to sell three of his ten remaining buses for Rs 45 per kilogram as scrap.
“I am planning to sell three of my 45-seater buses at scrap value. Earlier, I had to sell ten of my 20 buses to survive. I have to pay nearly Rs 40,000 as tax for each bus, apart from the other taxes and fees left to be paid. The government hasn’t given us any tax exemptions, which has further burdened us,” said Royson, who has been in the industry for 42 years.
S Prasanthan, state general secretary of Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA), said, “While some tourist buses sold to interested parties in states like Andhra Pradesh were used to transport students, others that operated in states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were sold as scrap. Around 3,000 buses have been sold this way for a meagre amount. The fate of large-scale operators who have incurred huge losses due to the pandemic is also the same.”
Ernakulam district vice-president of CCOA Bajy Joseph said, “I own a fleet of 13 buses. It was only in December 2021 that the tourist buses resumed operations after the second wave. However, the government has demanded we pay tax for the last nine months as well. I paid a tax of more than Rs 3.5 lakh for each of my vehicles till December by taking loans. Although we didn’t have any business in January and February, we are being forced to pay the tax for this quarter too. Many operators have started thinking of converting their vehicles into food trucks, restaurants and other stalls. Though the state’s tourism department has planned a caravan tourism project, private players like us haven’t been included in it.”
Difficult go get MVD nod
A few years back, tourist bus operator Royson had planned to convert his tourist bus into a mobile workshop for repairing the vehicles at Sabarimala. However, he failed to receive approval from the Motor Vehicles Department. Ernakulam district vice-president of CCOA Bajy Joseph said, “Though many operators are planning to convert their vehicles, it is not possible unless they get the approval for the same from the MVD. One operator is planning to convert his bus into a mobile poultry farm, but can’t get the permissions.”
During the Covid first wave, Shajahan S, a travel agency operator from Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram, converted his mini tourist bus into an ambulance to help ferry Covid patients to the hospitals. Realising the growing need for ambulances, Shajahan again converted one of his taxi cars into a mini ambulance last year.
Looking at a bleak future