: Bus owners have expressed their keenness to know the financial and other details of the proposed private bus company.
T. Gopinathan, general secretary of the All Kerala Bus Operators’ Organisation, said that ‘grey areas’ such as financial commitment and profit-sharing among owners operating a bus costing Rs.5 lakh and Rs. 25 lakh should be clarified. “We are yet to study the proposal in depth, but have promised to cooperate with the initiative.” M.B. Satyan, president of the Kerala State Private Bus Owners’ Federation, said the possibility of sourcing government funding and subsidy for the company must be explored.Rule enforcers
Facing criticism for their ‘inaction’ in the face of rash and intimidatory driving by private buses, law enforcers have welcomed the proposal to constitute a company for private city buses. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order; Traffic) Hari Sankar said this would in all probability lessen reckless driving by bus crew since there would be a single controlling authority (the company). “We have already told bus operators of how shortage of drivers can be overcome if they generate a pool of drivers, with the company bearing expenses for training them. This will help operators to weed out problem makers and bank on the pool of trained drivers.”
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Ernakulam RTO K M Shaji said forming a bus company and also constitution of Unified Metropolitan Transportation Authority (UMTA) would prompt bus owners and crew to behave more responsibly. “This is because owners will be assured of minimum collection, while workers will get assured minimum wages.”