City bus commuters across the twin cities were stranded at bus stops for a long time on Monday, as more than half the fleet was pulled off city roads.
The number of buses was cut down drastically owing to many employees either participating in the agitation by Telangana Mazdoor Union, or going on mass leave, sources said.
Scores of commuters were seen waiting unendingly at all bus-stops, braving the sun. Buses were few and far between, and, even when they arrived, were inevitably crowded beyond their capacity.
Many were clueless as to why the buses were off the road, and wondered if there was a flash strike by workers. Misinformation by drivers and conductors on duty, that there was a strike by one particular union, added to the confusion.
“I had to wait for a long time in the morning at Banjara Hills to come here. Now, I’m waiting even longer to get a bus in return direction. There was no news about strike in the newspapers, but the staff on the bus told me of a strike,” said B. Padmaja, a commuter at Dilsukhnagar.
Cabs made a quick buck, as many depended on the cab aggregators to reach their destinations. It had its share of problems.
“After a long wait at the bus-stop, I booked a cab, but the booking was cancelled, and the driver said he was overburdened by work. I had to pay an exorbitant sum to reach home by auto rickshaw,” said Pavan Kumar, a businessman at Abids.
Sources from the TSRTC informed that orkers under TMU were told to stay from work even if they did not make it to the demonstration at Bus Bhavan, so as to make a show of strength to the government. As a result, nearly 60% of the fleet did not come on to the roads in the city, putting commuters to untold misery.
However, officials from the TSRTC said they were not aware of any such mass absenteeism or flash strike.
Working president of the TMU, Thomas Reddy, however, claimed that all the employees under the union participated in the demonstration, which confined 70-75% buses to the depots.
