Coronavirus | Public transport agencies work in earnest to limit passenger flow

8 lakh drop in ridership on BEST buses; 10 lakh dip on WR, CR

Vacant: An empty BEST bus plying in Colaba in south Mumbai on Thursday evening.

Fewer Mumbaikars were seen out on the streets during the peak hours on Thursday after public transport agencies pulled out all the stops to implement the new measures put in place by the State government to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Late on Wednesday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced a new set of directives after holding a review meeting with stakeholders. The public transport agencies were directed to run services at 50% passenger capacity and ensure that there are no passengers who are not seated in buses.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking on Thursday deployed ticket checkers across bus stops and depots to ensure that buses were filled only to 50% capacity. Though ground staff ensured there were no standees in buses, conductors said some passengers climbed in when the bus slowed down at a turning or stopped at a signal.

“It became harder to ensure that buses had only seated passengers,” said a conductor. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation began drives urging passengers to occupy seats.

As a result of the measures, the Central Railway (CR) and the Western Railway (WR) witnessed an average drop of 10 lakh commuters in daily ridership while the passenger traffic on BEST buses dropped by eight lakh. Both the CR and the WR have also decided to suspend AC local services from March 20 to 31.

Railway officials said suburban services will remain operational as many commuters still depend on it. The CR has cancelled another 30 long-distance passenger trains and the WR has cancelled 10 more trains.

On Thursday, many passengers on local trains were those who were not given the option to work from home. Mohammad Asif, an employee at a shop selling bags in Andheri, said, “We have to travel to make deliveries as long as the shop is open and the owner instructs us to do so.”

Arjun Saraswat, who works at a garment shop in Bandra, said he travels daily from Bhayandar as his shop is still open. He said, “We heard that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation [BMC] is shutting some markets. We don’t know if our employer will pay us if the shop shuts.”

The BMC on Wednesday night directed all wards to keep their markets open only on alternate days to prevent overcrowding.