Bus transport in the State has been hit due to the outbreak of COVID-19, with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) cancelling several trips across routes in the State.
According to MSRTC spokesperson Vishnu Kakde, the State transport authority had to cancel 20,957 trips between March 11 and 16 across all categories such as Shivneri, Shivshahi and Asiad, which led to a loss of ₹3.17 crore. Mr. Kakde said on March 16 itself nearly 9,262 trips were cancelled, amounting to a loss of ₹1.28 crore.
Maharashtra has the highest number people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in the country at 41, with Mumbai and Pune accounting for the highest number of cases. The MSRTC has cancelled several of its premium Shivneri buses from Mumbai, Thane and Aurangabad to Pune. On March 16, nearly 70 Shivneri services along 12 routes connecting Pune to the other cities were cancelled.
BEST loses passengers
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking’s average passenger load declined by around 10% on Tuesday as many decided to work from home. According to BEST spokesperson Manoj Varade, the bus undertaking ferried around 28 lakh passengers on Tuesday as opposed to an average of 30 lakh passengers.
“It’s not just people working from home, but also students who are not travelling as schools and colleges have been shut down by the government,” Mr. Varade said.
