Rattled by raids conducted in succession by the local Road Transport Authority officials, most of the erring private bus operators have fallen in line.
Nearly all operators have conceded to the permit conditions, a major area of violation, while some are still crying foul over what they call ‘harassment’ by the Transport Department. Many operators have reduced the size of their business to almost half while smaller players have shut shop for now.
“The RTA raids have dealt a serious blow to our business. Only 30 per cent of my buses are plying. In the present circumstances, it is impossible for anyone to continue in the business. I am not interested in this line anymore. If I am able to find buyers for my vehicles, I am ready to sell them or I’ll just leave them as scrap pieces,” says Chalasani Ravi, proprietor of Kaleswari Travels, a major player in the private bus industry in the region.
There should be a coherent policy in place, feel many operators.
Unauthorised plying of buses by private operators has been a bone of contention, for it caused a huge dent in the exchequer of the State-sponsored public transport giant – AP State Road Transport Corporation .
The private operators were plying their vehicles on routes earmarked for RTC buses in violation of permit conditions, thus eating into a major chunk of the RTC revenue.
A local manager of Kesineni Travels speaks of a rapid decline in the occupancy ratio (OR) in private buses. “We have lost almost 60 per cent of the business. The OR is dull even on weekends,” he says, informing that the travel company is operating only 50-60 of the total 80 buses it has in its fleet.
Unable to pay EMIs of loans to the finance companies, a couple small players have opted out of the business, sources said.
“It’s harassment”“This is nothing but harassment. Even though all documents are accurate, operators are being harassed on some pretext or the other,” says Mallibabu of Sri Venkateswara Kanaka Durga Travels. He is also a member of the Andhra Pradesh Private Bus Operators’ Association.
The plight of the large number of workers depending on the private bus industry for livelihood also worries private operators.
