With the spurt in COVID-19 cases and local transmission of SARS-CoV-2 turning a concern, the Motor Vehicles Department has made cabin partitions that divides the front and rear space of autorickshaws, taxies, and buses plying in the State mandatory.
Drivers and conductors of buses are susceptible to contracting the disease owing to their constant interaction with the travelling public. Instances of drivers and conductors of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses and drivers of autorickshaws and taxis getting infected have highlighted the need for having cabin separators.
State Transport Commissioner M.R. Ajith Kumar has now ordered that these vehicles operating in the State should have plastic or acrylic sheets to segregate the seat of the driver and the rear space used by the travellers. “Only such vehicles with partition will be allowed to ply through the roads and carry travellers,” he said.
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Log books
Autorickshaws and taxies had been asked to maintain a log book with details of the travellers, including mobile phone numbers, to contact in case of any health emergency. The Transport Commissioner has asked the Regional Transport Officers to carry out checks to enforce the directive.
The KSRTC has already begun steps to have partitions in place to segregate the driver cabin from the rear space meant for travellers in the wake of drivers contracting the disease. As these buses are used for transporting those arriving by trains and flights, it was an urgent need for the KSRTC to protect drivers.
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Cab aggregators and autorickshaws have started going for cabin partitions. Though easy to install, non-availability of the materials in view of the lockdown is causing much delay.
Maruti Suzuki has already come out with ‘cabin protective partition’ in their vehicles.