Patiala: The Pepsu Road Transport Corporation’s kilometre (km) scheme has gone off track as at least 300 buses it is running under it are yet to resume operations during the Covid-19 unlock phases.
Under the scheme, the responsibility of operating the buses is of the private transporters and the corporation has to give only the running cost.
Of the 300 buses under the scheme, 15 are integral coaches (Volvo), 47 are HVAC, while 233 are ordinary buses that run through contracts with private transporters. These buses have not been plying since March 18 when restrictions were placed on public transport.
CORPORATION FEARS LOSSES, SCHEME BECOMING UNVIABLE
The corporation has a total fleet of 1,045 buses.
Though the PRTC resumed transport services on May 20, it is still running less than 50% of its total fleet due to lesser occupancy in the wake of the pandemic. The private transporters associated with the corporation fear huge losses in this scenario.
“It is not financially viable for the PRTC to run buses under the km-scheme at this stage. The buses plying under the scheme could only resume services once the situation normalises. At present, only PRTC-owned buses are put into service. Even they are facing occupancy issues as the people are reluctant to travel in public transport,” PRTC managing director Jaskiran Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}“It is not financially viable for the PRTC to run buses under the km-scheme at this stage. The buses plying under the scheme could only resume services once the situation normalises. At present, only PRTC-owned buses are put into service. Even they are facing occupancy issues as the people are reluctant to travel in public transport,” PRTC managing director Jaskiran Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}Under the scheme, the running cost of a bus is estimated to be around ₹6.68 per km, while in self-financed buses, the expenses are pegged at ₹7.80 per km. Even insurance and security expenses are borne by the transporters.
The employees unions see the scheme as a tactic to promote privatisation in the state’s transport sector.
FOCUS ON GENERATING REVENUE
Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, convener of trade unions linked with PRTC, said the decision of not running the buses under the scheme at this stage will help PRTC to meet its expenditure somehow. “In the present scenario, the corporation should concentrate on generating revenues by running its pre-owned buses,” he said.
Pradeep Gautam of the Km-Scheme Bus Operators’ Union said non-operation of buses has not only hurt them financially but also the workers have been rendered jobless.
“A majority of us purchased these buses by taking loans from banks. We are finding it hard to repay our loan installments. Moreover, the PRTC has not paid ₹5 crore for plying these buses from February 15 to March 18,” Gautam said.