Commuters' wait for city bus service gets longer in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: Absence of city buses gave way to commuting challenges to those who are largely dependent on the service in Visakhapatnam.

There are about 550 APSRTC buses that run within the city limits. Students, the working class, senior citizens and those in possession of bus passes prefer boarding a city bus over any other mode of transport.

Even if auto-rickshaws offer easy accessibility to the commuters, they are only preferred next to the RTC buses. Safety, minimal possibility of accidents, trained drivers and regular maintenance of vehicles are some of the reasons that attribute to the rising demand of the RTC buses among the general public.

But ever since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, a long brake has been applied for the operation of city buses. Eventually, even in unlock 4.0, the operation of the RTC city buses did not resume. Keeping the public requirement in view, auto-rickshaws resumed their service while relaxing the lockdown. However, the resumption of its service came with new terms and conditions. As per the guidelines, only two passengers can board a three-seater auto-rickshaw. This apart, the vehicle should be sanitised at frequent intervals. Except a few, not many are adhering to Covid-19 protocols. Hence, they do pose a larger threat to commuters as many come in contact with the vehicle on a daily basis.

Though the auto-rickshaw fares have been doubled due to less passengers ferried per trip, there is no monitoring system in place to check whether the vehicles are getting sanitised at frequent intervals or not. During the initial stages of lockdown relaxation, those operating the three-wheelers followed Covid-19 protocols. But over a period, compliance to the safety protocol has seen a considerable dip. Overcrowded auto-rickshaws gradually frequented the roads. But auto-rickshaw drivers have a different version to narrate. "We have already suffered enough losses this year. People hardly board the three-wheeler these days. It is only during the office hours from 9 am to 10 am again from 5 pm to 6 pm the demand for the three-wheeler is seen. Given the rise in fuel prices, the commute turns out to be an expensive affair for us with two passengers per trip," says G Vamana Murthy, state general secretary of AITUC.

G Naidu, president of Autorickshaw Union, Gajuwaka, feels the situation is far better compared to the days during lockdown. "But most part of our daily income goes for paying fines collected through the issue of e-challans. It will be better if this gets eased to an extent," he opines.

When contacted, APSRTC Deputy Chief Traffic Manager for Visakhapatnam M Sudha Bindu says that city buses will be run once the orders are received from the state government. "Already a few buses are operated in rural areas with 50 to 60 per cent occupancy. Since city buses are generally crowded, focus will be more on their sanitisation," she says. Those who are dependent on the city bus service hope that at least 10 to 20 per cent of the mode of transport would resume its operation soon.