Accusing the three-wheeler operators of damaging the business of the city bus operators in Dehradun by illegally operating their vehicles, the city bus drivers have decided to surrender their buses to the administration by the end of this week.
The city bus operators said that they have approached Regional Transport Office (RTO) about their concern multiple times but so far, no concrete decision has been taken about this situation by the authorities.
Talking about the issue, the president of Dehradun Mahanagar City Bus Seva Mahasangh, Vijay Vardhan Dandriyal said that the number of passengers in the city buses are so low that hardly 10 city buses are currently running in the city because when passengers approach the buses, operators of three-wheeler including Vikrams and auto rickshaws offer them to drop at their destinations at lower fares than buses.
"We do not have any issue if they get more passengers than the city buses provided they operate as per the rules but presently, they are running their vehicles as per their will violating the regulations under their contract carriage permits," said Dandriyal.
He further added that Vikram operators pick up the passengers from various points in the city which is forbidden as per their permit.
On the question of the response received from RTO about their complaint regarding the same, Dandriyal said that officials told them that they are imposing fine on the vehicle operators violating rules but according to Dandriyal, it is not enough to prevent them from running their vehicles illegally in Dehradun affecting the business of the city buses.
"I do not hear any other public vehicle operators saying they will surrender their vehicles because they are bearing financial loss too except us.
About 270 city buses run here and the families of more than 2000 people depend on these buses.
We are bound to surrender our vehicles because we are facing loss and numerous people are unable to bear it now," stated Dandriyal.
He added that they will soon ask RTO to provide a terminal to the bus operators to surrender their buses and will start to surrender the buses most likely from July 23.