The bus owners of the district are facing a tough task to ply their buses although the State Government has lifted the restrictions owing to Covid. However, certain conditions have been laid for them.
The association observed that there was hardly any passenger on the long distance route like Bhubaneswar even though they are allowed to run the buses. “On Sunday, one bus which went to Bhubaneswar with five passengers, returned with only three,” the association claimed stating that the expenditure came around Rs 15,000 to Rs 16,000 for a single trip. Since the passengers are not willing to undertake the journey it is difficult to ply the buses in the specified routes, it said. The association maintained that the suspension of bus services due to Covid restrictions have caused immense losses for the bus owners. On the one hand, many drivers, helpers and cleaners depending on the bus services have switched over to other professions like selling vegetables and fish as the buses were off the road, while on the other, prolonged idling of vehicles has caused machinery troubles. And the owners have no funds to remove the glitches and change the unserviceable parts.
Reports said from Baleswar stand, daily about 220 buses ply to different destinations, including nearly 100 to long distance, including Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur, Sambalpur and Rourkela etc. And about 1,200 people including driver, helper and cleaner etc depend on the bus services. The association said Corona has broken their back. The Government neither addressed the difficulties of the owners nor the solved the plights of the workers, the association lamented. Although the bus service has resumed, yet many workers are reluctant to return to their old profession. Besides, escalation of price of diesel and other components has made the bus service operation very difficult. More so, more and more passengers are preferring taxi service and personal cars to bus due to fear of Covid, the association members said.