This story is from June 3, 2020

Kolkata: Autos, taxis go back to pre-Covid-19 3+1 formula as buses struggle to tackle rush

Kolkata: Autos, taxis go back to pre-Covid-19 3+1 formula as buses struggle to tackle rush
Buses ran to packed capacity on Tuesday, still many had to wait for hours to travel to their workplaces
KOLKATA: Keeping in mind the rush of commuters, the transport department on Tuesday modified its stance on social distancing in public transport. From Wednesday, autos and taxis can ply with full — 3+1 — seating capacity. Earlier, it was decided that autos and cabs would ferry two passengers.
This is in accordance with the public transport order that allowed buses to ferry full-seating capacity commuters.
Since people can sit in buses without leaving any gap, there is no reason not to allow the same in autos and taxis, said a senior transport department officer.
image - 2020-06-03T072852.817 (1)

A transport department official said the auto count in the city is set to go up three-fold on Wednesday with 30,000 more joining the 15,000 that plied on Tuesday. The auto unions have been asked to roll back hikes in routes where they were charging more after they were allowed to carry only two passengers instead of four. However, use of masks and hand sanitizers is compulsory. Bus, cab and auto operators can refuse passengers without masks.
On Tuesday, there were more government and private buses on the road. But the numbers still proved way short of the requirement to meet the commuting needs of office-goers. Hundreds of commuters were left stranded in bus stops as the yawning demand-supply gap continued to prove a challenge.
With majority of private bus operators still off the road, the plight of passengers continued to spiral into a crisis. Serpentine queues at bus termini, passengers failing to board the odd buses that halted at bus stops. The situation will ease further if more private buses hit the road. On Tuesday, 539 private buses of 22 routes resumed services. Transport department officials said 400 more buses could ply on Wednesday on nine additional routes.

The transport department has also made arrangements to bring back all the drivers of state transport undertakings ( STUs) who had gone to their homes in rural Bengal or distant places. West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) will operate over 800 buses on Wednesday. “I have personally monitored the deployment of buses and real-time demand. There are some teething issues. With more private buses joining the service, we will resolve the problem shortly,” said transport minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Online cab hailing firm Uber on Tuesday resumed its airport operations at Kolkata airport. “We hope it will ease the problems faced by riders and also revive earning opportunities for drivers,” said Uber head ridesharing (east and south India) Ratul Ghosh.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA