Owners of private buses and their employees happen to be the worst affected during the Covid-19 pandemic and are still facing cash shortages
When the buses stopped plying in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, workers, including conductors, drivers and door checkers, were left with no option but to looking for other viable alternatives. But the situation of bus owners is the worst, especially in Kerala. Most of them have taken loans to get their buses on the road. But, these bus owners find it very tough to manage their debts as their buses have mostly stayed off roads during the pandemic, resulting in a shortfall of revenues.
With the government easing the Covid-19 curbs in place, the buses have resumed operations. One such transport service, the “Archa” bus, operating between Kottayam Medical College and Pathinarin Chira route has caught everyone’s fancy. Sunil Kumar, the owner of the bus, is in the driver’s seat and his wife Remya and daughter Archa act as conductor and door checker respectively.
When the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed the services, the conductor and door checker left the Archa bus, especially during the initial phase of the lockdown. When the lockdown rules were eased, the bus owner decided to resume the transport service in a scaled-down manner.
As the bus started plying on the road, Sunil was the sole employee on the bus. He was the driver, conductor, checker and whatnot. After giving the ticket to the passengers at the bus stand, Sunil would go to the driver’s seat. The passengers, who had boarded the bus midway, approached the driver and paid the ticket fare. This is how he started the operations after the restriction got eased slightly.
But, later on, when the curbs were lifted further, Remya and their daughter Archa also joined Sunil in the bus. Remya works as the conductor from 8.45 am till 11.30 am. And then daughter Archa takes over the role till 6 pm.
Before the lockdown, the collections used to be around Rs 7,000 per day. After expenses and salary, the owner managed a surplus of Rs. 2500. But now the total collection is a mere Rs 2,500. Out of this, the family receives a meager amount after deducting the cost of diesel.
The public transport sector, including the private bus services, is collapsing like never before. In the
area where there were about 30,000 buses, only one-third of the buses are left today. So the revival of public transportation is an essential task keeping the interest of the general public in mind.
