The effects of demonetisation are felt in the public transport system too. The number of persons travelling by buses has dropped, giving a tough time for transport officials, who are now witnessing a fall in revenue.
An official of the Vellore region of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) (Villupuram) Limited said that the revenue has gone down by at least 15 per cent. TNSTC, Vellore, operates 745 buses, including town buses. These buses ply to places including Chennai, Salem, Tiruchi, Villupuram and Bengaluru.
“We are now facing a reduction in collection. Our daily earning, on an average, is around Rs. 70 lakh. There is a decline of about 15 per cent in revenue since demonetisation was announced,” the official said.
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Another official said the withdrawal of the two high denomination notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 has hit markets and businesses. “Likewise, it has affected public transport too. People either do not have sufficient money or lack lower denomination currencies. If they give Rs. 2,000 for a Rs. 100 ticket fare, where will our conductors go for change?” he asked.
A crew member of TNSTC also said the number of commuters has come down in the last two weeks. “Some of them pay using the old Rs. 500 note but conductors do not have change,” he added.
Private buses too face a similar problem. D. Vijaya Govindarajan, president of Vellore District Bus Owners Association, said passenger flow was low, resulting in dull days for private buses. There are nearly 300 buses that ply to various places within the district and neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvannamalai.
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“Public movement is low since demonetisation was declared. So, passenger flow has reduced by 20 to 25 per cent. Our revenue has also dropped by 20 to 25 per cent,” he said.