CHENNAI: The carrying capacity of buses are set to come down by 25 per cent from Saturday with the State government imposing restrictions on travelling while standing. The maximum number of travellers on buses will be regulated according to the seating capacity of the vehicle. The move will empty the aisles in buses and allow commuters to comply with social distancing norms, said official sources.
However, on the flip side, the move is likely to have an adverse impact on transport corporations as well as commuters. The transport department has been reeling under financial crunch with mounting debts of over Rs 15,000 crore for the past few years. Each government bus had been charged from Rs 9,500 to Rs 10,000 at every toll gate on the National Highways for 50 trips. As a result, Villupuram and Salem corporations brought down the number of trips on many routes.
The recent curbs will reduce the carrying capacity of buses from 25 to 30 per cent, thereby further taking a toll on the revenue of corporations. However, operational expenses will remain the same. Even as the government is yet to resume more than 40 per cent of bus services post the Covid-19 lockdown since last year, the new restriction on standing will increase the demand for buses.
However, transport secretary C Samayamoorthy maintained that over 70 per cent of the fleet of eight transport corporations was being operated. “To meet the additional demand, we will increase services after studying the demand,” he said. A large section of daily-wage labourers and office goers depends on public transportation, particularly the Mofussil buses outside Chennai city.
K Baskaran, who works at a biscuit manufacturing company near Tiruvallur, said many workers employed in smaller industries relied on government buses for their daily commute. “If commuters are not allowed to stand and travel, the government should increase the number of buses,” he said. The government said buses will be operated to neighbouring Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry.