Poor patronage greets KSRTC, private buses

RTC could operate only 1,388 services against 1,850 planned

Signing off: Suma P.S., the first woman KSRTC conductor, issues ticket to a passenger at East Fort, Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday after the utility resumed services after the easing of the lockdown. It was Ms. Suma’s last day in service as she will now be on leave till her retirement day on May 31. In 1992, she had stood first in the tests conducted for the first 10-member women’s batch in the KSRTC.

There was not much patronage for the ordinary services of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private buses that operated on Wednesday within the 14 districts after 54 days.

Although the KSRTC had planned to operate 1,850 services from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., it could operate only 1,388 services. Instead of the 5.5 lakh km planned to be covered daily using the 1,850 services, the fleet could cover only 2.5 lakh km, sources in the KSRTC told The Hindu . In the Thiruvananthapuram zone comprising the capital district, Kollam and Pathanamthitta, the KSRTC ran 650 services. The buses with a passenger capacity of 42, 48 and 51 offered only 22, 28 and 31 seats. Yet, none of the buses were full.

Of the 12,500 private buses in the State, less than 5% plied on Wednesday, and their plight too was similar to the KSRTC services. The society that operated 10 services in Kollam got only ₹25,000 from the fleet with the collection varying from ₹2,700 to ₹3,000.

Salary worries

“The bus owners will have to find money to pay the crew. The poor response will prevent others from taking the risk,” Lawrence Babu, general secretary, Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation, said.

However, the bus operations made the bus depots and bus stops lively again. Commuters wore masks and used santisers before stepping into the bus. The crew also wore face masks and gloves. The temporary increase in bus fares by 50% to offset the operational loss, fear psychosis, and closure of the educational institutions are the main reasons for poor patronage.

Special package sought

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee of the Private Bus Operators met Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran here and sought a special package. The Minister was non-committal to the demands. “Poor patronage is a concern. But, the buses will enter the roads after undergoing repairs,” Mr. Babu, who is also the chairman of the committee, said.