The state-run Kadamba Transport Corp has always been running a business into the loss, right from the beginning, most of the people in Goa either use their own conveyance or make use of Private Bus services which at times more efficient and aggressive in business. Now due to the COVID, no one wants to take a risk by making use of public transport and using their own vehicles for commuting.
Kadamba Transport is the lone public transport service in Goa and due to the rising number of cases in the state people prefer not to make use of the public transport service and due to this KTC feeling the hit.
According to the reports, Kadamba buses that were supposed to run at 50% capacity to maintain the social distancing are operating with only 25% passenger strength said the official.
The new normal of working from home is catching up in the state and majority of people avoid travelling and prefer to stay at home and fraction of them who want to move out make use of their own vehicles.
“People are not getting out much these days. On average we have ten passengers on each bus. This is only in peak hours. During the rest of the day, we see fewer passengers. On Saturdays, the number is even lesser since there aren’t any government officials commuting,” KTC managing director, Venancio Furtado said.
The bus services in the state were resumed following the unlock process began in the state out of 350 buses Kadamba deployed around 180 on the various routes in the state but due to very limited demand, the service is running into a complete loss.
Initially, the bus service was resumed only for the Government employees resumed work after weeks under lockdown and later on started accepting the general public on board. Even after almost a month of doing so, the KTC is still running at less than 50% of its fleet, said the official.
“We are operating the buses only on routes where there is a demand ever since the use of public transport reduced drastically due to Covid19. We are just operating at 25% of the capacity as a result,” KTC general manager, Sanjay Ghate said.
Though there is a poor response on this front, the KTC buses find themselves engaged on the frontline to ferry passengers from the Goa airport to their respective cities in the neighbouring states. “We must make do with whatever resources we have. The drivers and conductors have been reporting to duty and they are given the task as per availability,” Furtado further said.
The Source: TOI
