Passengers had a tough time after the bus services of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation were affected in Ernakulam following the strike by employees against the delay in payment of their salaries.
Many were caught off-guard as they came to know about the strike only after starting from their homes to various destinations in the morning. Students were the worst affected as they had no option but to return home after the bus services were cancelled without notice.
No idea about strike
“I had no idea about the strike and came to know about it only after reaching the bus stop. I depend on the KSRTC bus to reach my college,” said a postgraduate student of commerce at St. Paul’s College in Kalamassery. KSRTC officials at the Aluva depot said that 44 services had to be cancelled following the strike. Over 80 services are operated daily from the depot, they said. Private buses tried to cash in on the strike by trying to accommodate the maximum number of passengers. Several incidents of rash driving involving private bus drivers were witnessed along the major roads after the KSRTC buses stayed off the road.
Passengers who reached the Vyttila Mobility Hub had a tough time as services to several areas were affected. They said that services to places such as Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha were not operated. The services of long distance buses were also hit.
