Jamshedpur, Sept 1: After almost five months of lockdown, the inter-city and inter-district bus services resumed from the steel city on Tuesday.
Only a few buses hit the road today and the number of passengers who boarded the buses were also few.�
According to an estimate only 30 per cent of about 400 buses rolled out of the Sitaramdera bus terminus, mostly to the Jamshedpur-Ranchi route, the passengers percentage was about 20 per cent.
The bus owners said that the people are still scared to travel due to the spread of the virus.
East Singhbhum district transport officer, Dinesh Ranjan said bus operators have started running buses from Sitaramdera bus terminus to different routes in the state.
As per State Government directive, private bus operators have been allowed to start bus services with just half the sanctioned passengers� seat.
If a bus has 60 seats capacity only 30 passengers will be allowed to travel.
� At least we have been allowed to start operating. The State Government has allowed resuming bus service with half the sanctioned passengers� capacity.
We have to bear fuel expenses and road tax. In such a situation we are left with no other alternative but to hike fares following social distancing norms,� said an operator.
Meanwhile, the bus operators have been asked to follow COVID guidelines such as after every trip of buses will be sanitized.
Wearing masks has been made mandatory for passengers, also if �passengers have no masks then it is the duty of bus operators to provide masks to passengers.
Meanwhile, the bus operators have demanded deployment of a medical team at the bus stand.
The medical team will carry out the thermal scanner of passengers.
The bus operators have decided to charge for two seats from one passenger as due to lockdown restrictions private bus operators have been permitted to resume bus services with limited passengers.
