Thousands of commuters were stranded at various bus stations across the city as drivers and conductors of BMTC started striking the work in the late afternoon on Tuesday, nearly a day ahead of the planned strike from Wednesday.
As per the rule, the buses taken out from the depots for the second shift have to be brought back the next morning. However, in December, the drivers who surrendered the vehicles hours before the end of shift had to pay a penalty of Rs 2,000. “We decided it is better not to attend the work during the second shift to avoid paying the penalty,” a BMTC driver working for over 15 years told DH.
In the terminals at Yeshwantpur, Shantinagar, Jayanagar, and Banashankari, hundreds of passengers waited for more than two hours even as officials struggled to arrange Volvo buses wherever the drivers were available.
This also put an end to compliance with Covid norms which dictated that a bus should not allow more passengers than its seating capacity. At bus stations, a melee ensued when a bus arrived at the stop as frustrated passengers rushed to the lone vehicle.
Many passengers expressed disappointment and were seen boarding auto rickshaws to reach home, a costly option. However, garment workers, construction workers and students who cannot shell out hefty fares had no option but to wait.
In the aftermath of the unlock period, the BMTC had seen a steady growth in daily ridership which had come close to 20 lakh. The indefinite strike means lakhs of commuters will have to find alternative means of travel.
Published 06 April 2021, 17:13 IST