Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 21: After a gap of about two months, government buses have begun to move around the city and other districts. The city is also witnessing auto-rickshaws, cabs and buses making the trips.

Both Bangalore Metro Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) have partially been running bus services. The passengers have to necessarily maintain social distance during their travel. On the first day of introducing bus services, the response from the people was lukewarm. The number of passengers is slowly improving now.

A BMTC spokesperson said that a total of 1,500 buses were pressed into service from Tuesday, and the passengers were only allowed to sit. There was no provision for standing passengers. The passengers had to buy daily passes of Rs 70 or monthly passes of Rs 300 instead of tickets. The buses were sanitized at Majestic bus station and the passengers had to stand in queue by maintaining social distance by standing on the painted marks.

The rule that KSRTC buses have to reach their destinations by 7 pm at any cost is enforced. In Mysuru, only 80 non-stop buses were introduced to Bengaluru, Mangaluru and other district headquarters. People did not evince interest to use city services in particular.

There was not much demand for buses even in Hubballi and Belagavi as people dithered from moving outside their homes because of fear of coronavirus infection.