DEHRADUN/MUSSOORIE: While the state transport department is issuing compulsory advisories for following social distancing and sanitisation in buses, the stage carriage operators have announced to increase fares from Wednesday. The decision has been taken in view of the government’s decision to run buses with 50% seating capacity.
On the other hand, the city bus operators claimed half of the buses are not even working as there are no passengers. Dehradun Mahanagar City Bus Seva Mahasangh president Vijay Vardhan Dandriyal told TOI, “The government has imposed SOPs for running buses with 50% capacity, but there is no decision on raising the fares. The situation is becoming worse as running our business is getting very difficult.”
n addition, the state transport department is also conducting a special drive to check social distancing in public transport like tempo. On Monday, the department had seized six tempos for not following social distancing among the passengers.
Meanwhile, a day after Delhi announced lockdown till April 26 and migrant workers rushed to return to their native places on whatever mode of transport they could avail, several residents of Tehri Garhwal and Uttarkashi districts alleged that they were charged double the usual fare from places like Dehradun and Chamba to their villages.
Pradeep Rana, a resident of Sem village in Tehri Garhwal, said, “Bus fare from Dobrapul to Chamba (in Tehri Garhwal district) is around Rs 40 but I was charged Rs 90 by a private bus. When passengers confronted the driver about it, they were asked to get off.” He added that buses were not following the state guideline on keeping the occupancy at maximum 50%. “If the vehicles are overcharging to compensate for reduced occupancy, they have absolutely no grounds for it. All passengers are huddling together in buses, there is no shadow of social distancing,” Rana said.
“I was charged double fare from Chamba to Uttarkashi on Tuesday morning and upon questioning the bus operator told that the fares have increased. The fare is usually Rs 190 but we were charged Rs 300,” said Roshan Lal, a resident of Uttarkashi who was returning from New Delhi.
“Aware of the urgency of people to get home, even local jeep operators have doubled their fares. For instance, the fare from Chamba to Mussoorie is Rs 140 and the jeeps are now charging Rs 250,” said Surendra Rawat, a resident of Chamba.
Sandeep Saini, RTO (enforcement) said, “The matter (of fare hike of stage carriage operators) has been sent to the government for its approval. We are keeping a check on the fares being charged by bus operators. Meanwhile, we are conducting awareness drives for passengers as well as bus operators and auto-rickshaw drivers and distributing stickers for the same.”
