Chartered buses back on roads
   Date :06-Sep-2020

Chartered buses_1 &n
 Intercity chartered buses start plying after gap of five months
 
 
Staff Reporter ;
 
After a gap of five months, the intercity chartered buses were back on roads on Saturday. While resuming bus service brought laurels for many, a few people avoided to travel amid the pandemic situation. With extended lockdown of 155 days, limited numbers of passengers dared to travel in the bus on first day. According to bus operators, there were barely 13 passengers boarded in Bhopal-Indore charted bus that departed at 6:30 am. Buses have been started with full capacity of passengers on old fare. On first day, four buses started plying on road from Indore-Bhopal-Indore route but all buses witnessed below 50 per cent passenger. Bus operators said that after each round, sanitisation drive is being carried out and wearing mask, thermal screening is mandatory for all before entering to the bus.
 
 
On first day, only two people appeared at window to get the ticket and remaining passengers preferred to buy online ticket. Before boarding the bus, passengers were asked to wear mask and sanitise their hands and thermal screening. After sanitisation, seat covers of all the buses were changed. There were one or two passengers who visited the bus stand for travelling to Sidhi or Damoh district. But keeping in view the lesser number of passengers, buses denied to run. Operators said there are many people still unaware of the fact the buses have been started. 
 
Passengers’ influx increases in low-floor buses
 
Passengers’ influx in low-floor buses increased slightly on third day. Even as the Government has allowed resumption of inter-district passenger bus services in the State from Thursday, public transport, including low-floor buses, took time to start operations. Earlier, drivers, cleaners and technicians of the low-floor buses - operated by Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL)- have refused to run their buses over their pending salaries which affected the operations. On Saturday, total eight buses started operations with over 315 passengers who booked tickets via contactless ticketing. Anurag Pandey, Kolar resident, said that starting of buses are boon for entrepreneurs who stay in suburbs.
 
Rush is very much limited and sanitisation is there. Aziz Khan, president of low floor buses operators said that the drivers, cleaners and other staff of BCLL’s low floor buses are still waiting for their salaries for lockdown period. Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) started red buses services from September 3 in two routes.First route is from Bairagarh Chichli to Chirayu hospital via sehore naka , new market and other route is from Bairagarh chichli to Vallabh Bhavan. To promote cash less schemes many other facilities like Chalo bus card, Mobile tickets on the chalo app, etc is started.