Mail News Service
Saraikela, Sept 2: A rush of passengers was expected by bus owners after almost five months of lockdown when busses or other public transport vehicles did not ply except autorickshaws. But the double fares charged made passengers think twice before boarding buses for their destinations. With 50 percent capacity of passengers allowed per bus to ensure social distancing norms, the bus owners had to raise the cost of tickets to meet expenses entailed in trips.
The present ticket cost structure: Saraikela to Jamshedpur�Rs 100; Saraikela to Kharsawan � Rs 60; Saraikela to Rajnagar�Rs 60; Saraikela to Chaibasa � Rs 80.
The district president of Maxi taxi Sangh, Chhotray Kisku has said that the current raise in fares would be in place until normalization of the COVID situation. Two-seater buses too are charging double fares for trips.
But the autorickshaws have been plying, irrespective of the lockdown or unlock periods. Drivers have been charging fares as per their will and are overloading passengers least bothered about social distancing norms. The drivers have been known to deviate from the main routes being aware of traffic police checking and take other routes to reach passengers to thewir destinations. The passengers too seem happy and do not mind paying the extra fare oblivious of the social distancing norms. The administration, according to citizens should bear down heavily on these autorickshaw drivers so that some semblance of sanity prevails in passenger movement in these three-wheelers.
