Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 6: Owners of buses who are worried over running the buses on the roads because of the acute shortage of passengers have surrendered over 12,000 buses to the transport department during the last four months.

People prefer to use their own vehicles because of fear of contracting coronavirus infection. This has resulted in drastic reduction in the number of people using buses for travel. Many are working from home. Therefore, bus owners are lining up to surrender their buses to the transport department. The bus owners can save the road tax they have to pay every three months, if they provide records about the suspension of bus operation and surrender all the records including registration certificate to the transport department. Tax savings can be anywhere from Rs 48,000 to Rs two lac.

Representational image

President of Karnataka Bus Owners Union K Rajavarma Ballal said that the bus owners have already lost a lot because of coronavirus. "The buses which could collect Rs 8,000 everyday are not even able to reach Rs 4,000 figure now. The money so collected is not even enough to meet the fuel bill. The bus owners have no other option but to surrender their buses," he said.

Ballal also pointed out that as per the standard operating procedure of the state government, not more than 50 percent of passenger capacity can be carried in vehicles. He therefore pointed out that it is very difficult to operate the buses.

Karnataka Tourist Vehicles Owners Association president Radhakrishna Holla said that even taxi owners are selling their vehicles. He urged the government to serve the interests of the taxi owners.