JOIN USA day long strike call by autorickshaw drivers pressing for revision in travel fares of autos, resulted in inconvenience to several passengers and tourists who arrived to the city.
However, with KSRTC deploying additional buses and even a few police vehicles pressed to the service of commuters, inconvenience were fractionally minimised.
With almost all of the 19,000 autorickshaws participating in the protest from Monday to Tuesday midnight, KSRTC and the city police took measures to ensure that tourists and commuters arriving in the city by bus and rail, reach their destinations.
Maqsood Ahmed, Divisional Traffic Manager, KSRTC speaking to Deccan Herald, said while the total number of trips by KSRTC buses was about 6,500 a day, the protests resulted in the Corporation plying 2,000 additional trips in and around Mysore.
“Usually, KSRTC buses do not operate from 12 midnight to 5 am. However, due to the protest, 25 buses were stationed near Railway Station and Sub-urban Bus Stand at 12 midnight, so that passengers arriving can be ferried to their destinations,” he said.
If there were a group of people wanting to reach a particular part of the city, they were dropped in the same bus. Trips were taken out to Hebbal, Kuvempunagar, N R Mohalla, Ramakrishnanagar and others, he added.
Commissioner of Police M A Saleem said that the city administration had ensured transportation facilities for passengers arriving at Railway Station and Sub-urban Bus Stand to the City Bus Stand. “All efforts were made to minimise the inconvenience resulting from the auto strike,” he said.
The police department had deployed 12 jeeps and two vans to ferry passengers. “During night, some people were even dropped to their doorsteps,” he said.