KOCHI: The indefinite strike launched by private buses in state affected normal life in the district on Thursday. Nearly 900 private buses kept off the road putting commuters to severe hardships. However, owing to the strike the average ridership of Kochi Metro saw an increase of 15 to 20 per cent.
In areas in the city that are not connected by Metro, the commuters had a tough time. “I waited for nearly two hours to get a bus to reach Menaka Junction from Palarivattom. Though two KSRTC buses passed through the bus stop, we were not able to board them as they were crowded. A large number of people were seen waiting at the bus stop to reach their destinations. The private bus strike definitely affected common man’s life,” said Hakkim Shah, a resident of Palarivattom.
Meanwhile, private bus operators said that they would intensify the strike in the coming days till their demands are met. “Though the government has promised a fare hike, including students’ concession, nothing has been implemented so far. We have put forth the demand to waive vehicle tax during pandemic period. We will continue the strike till our demands are met as private bus operators all over Kerala are going through severe financial crunch,” said Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation president M B Sathyan.
Meanwhile, Metro ridership saw a marginal increase of 15 to 20%. Usually, the non-peak hours on weekdays are lean hours for Metro. However, owing to private bus strike, most of the commuters from Tripunithura, Kadavanthra, and M G Road depended on Metro resulting in a surge in ridership. “We are yet to calculate the exact figures for the day. However, as per our initial assessment, there is a surge of nearly 20 per cent in the average ridership,” said a KMRL officer.