This lockdown has been a rough ride for private bus operators. With little or no clarity as to when inter-State operations are likely to resume, and with pending tax payments and salaries to staff, bus owners are a worried about the massive loss in revenues.
Private bus operators told The Hindu that there are thousands whose livelihoods are dependent on resumption of bus services. A vast majority of them are in dire straits due to the lockdown.
“There are around 2,500 private buses in Telangana. Each bus provides livelihood to as many as 10 people. These include drivers, helpers, electricians and mechanics, among others. With the lockdown a huge number do not have any means of livelihood,” said Khursheed Ali from the Hyderabad and Secunderabad Bus Owners Association.
Guidelines awaited
Mr. Khurshid said that while operations remain suspended, associations are yet to receive clear instructions or guidelines on what measures are to be taken upon resumption of services. “We are ready to comply with social distancing norms and sanitisation of vehicles. But the problem is that there is no word from the government on this thus far,” he said.
What has associations worried about are payments under the Motor Vehicle Tax which are made quarterly. Exemptions have been sought, and a petition has been filed in the courts of law. “Some states, like Kerala, have given a partial concession on payments. We are waiting for a counter to be filed and the hearing is posted for the coming Monday,” Mr. Khursheed said.
Tax waiver sought
On Thursday, a delegation of private bus owners met Transport Department Principal Secretary Sunil Sharma in connection with their concerns and submitted a representation. Speaking to The Hindu , Mr Sharma said: “We are examining this. We are also examining as to when inter-State services can be resumed.”
Throwing light on the current scenario, chief operating officer of the online transport aggregator Abhibus Rohit Sharma said that there are around 1,000 private bus operators in South India. With the lockdown over the past couple of months, a conservative estimation of losses would be up to ₹ 12 crore per day, given an occupancy of up to 90%. He also observed that there has not been an increase in bus fares.
Process automation
Underscoring manpower as the biggest challenge which the industry has been facing in these circumstances, and touching upon the changes the industry could see, he said: “What I am hearing is that there is a need to go leaner, push for automation and cut costs with less dependency on manpower.” Other than drivers, several other roles or processes could be replaced by automation.
Mr. Sharma said that operators are ‘more than keen’ to have the basic checks and balances — such as sanitisation — in place, and portended that standard operating procedures as seen in aviation sector could be encouraged within the bus industry. The fluid pick-up and drops could be a thing of the past, with more specific and structured processes replacing them, he said.
