The recent surge in cases in neighbouring States as well as the ongoing border tension has hit the cash-strapped Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). A year after the outbreak of COVID-19, the RTC is still struggling to improve patronage for its inter-State services, especially for its AC buses.
Last year, it had resumed inter-State services in a phased manner and had gradually started increasing the number of buses operated. A dip in COVID-19 cases in December was a silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud. However, the surge in COVID-19 cases in States such as Maharashtra now, has dashed any hope of a revival. Officials say only 40% of its fleet of air-conditioned buses are currently operating on inter-state routes.
A senior official of the KSRTC said, “Inter-state services, especially the AC service segment, are showing no sign of recovery. For example, during pre-lockdown time, we used to run five AC services from Bengaluru to Pune, Mumbai, Shirdi and other places. But now it is difficult to find passengers for even one bus.”
To Kerala
A similar trend is playing out on routes to Kerala. “We used to operate 25 buses per day, but now it has reduced to four or five. And even then, seats are empty,” said the official. He attributed the low occupancy to the mandatory tests that passengers have to take. Even services to other popular destinations such as Hyderabad, Chennai and Tirupati have taken a hit.
“Summer is the time when there is a rise in demand for AC buses, but it’s unlikely to happen this year,” the official added.
Academic changes
Another reason is the changes in the academic calendar and a short summer holiday. Classes for students are likely to continue through summer, and families may either postpone or drop their travel plans.
“People, who usually travel to their home-towns during this time, have already moved back due to work from home options. “They will continue to work from their native places until restrictions are relaxed,” the official added.
A majority of the AC buses, including the brand new luxury Ambari Dream Class, which was launched in 2019, are gathering at dust at depots.
The KSRTC has maintained that non AC bus services within the State have picked up trips and most of the buses are operational.
