JOIN USBMTC now at 40 per cent revenue
Since March, 30 BMTC employees have lost their lives to the pandemic, and 1,300 of 31,000 employees have tested positive.
The city bus corporation’s top authorities say it will take more time to overcome the distress.
“We provide home isolation kits for those infected. We have converted a KSRTC bus terminal complex into a Covid care centre and tied up with a hospital to give free treatment,” says C Shikha, chairman and CMD, BMTC.
Buses are running at 50 per cent capacity, and revenue has dipped to 40 per cent of what it used to be before the pandemic, she told Metrolife.
In March, when the lockdown was announced, all 6,400 BMTC buses were stopped.
Mid-way through the first lockdown, 130 buses were introduced for people employed in the health services and cleaning staff.
During the second phase in April, BMTC extended its services to those in the essential services and helped migrants trying to return home.
For three months, it did not generate any revenue. Even when operations resumed for the public, only 1,000 buses were deployed. “Today, we are running 5,000 buses. But, we see only 15 lakh passengers, as opposed to the almost 30 lakh passengers we used to have earlier. But we need these buses to run to ensure that connectivity in the city is maintained,” Shikha
Financial struggles
Earlier, BMTC would earn Rs 5 crore a day. “Even with a steady increase in passengers, we are nowhere close to that amount,” says a BMTC official.
“The state government has been supporting us with the salaries, so a major burden is reduced,” says Shikha.
Other payments and liabilities have to be taken care of. Things will go back to normal once Covid-19 is controlled, she says.
Staff troubles
When services gradually resumed, BMTC found itself severely short-staffed. Many employees had gone back home. And not everyone ready for duty could be allowed to work.
“No employees with health concerns were deployed and we asked those above 55 years and those with comorbidity conditions to rest at home,” says the official.
All staff get masks and sanitisers, and buses are regularly disinfected. Additionally, conductors get face shields, and partitions are placed between drivers and passengers. All employees go through thermal screenings.
To avoid exchange of cash, the ticket prices were rounded off to multiples of 5. BMTC has also introduced QR codes for payments and weekly and daily
passes.
Despite these measures, some passengers refuse to comply. “Initially, people were more careful, while now there are people who are reluctant to follow the procedure. It’s not many, but it is a problem,” says the official.
Vayu Vajra online
People can now book tickets online for BMTC’s Vayu Vajra buses. The air-conditioned airport buses have seen a major drop in passengers, and that has impacted the corporation’s revenues.