Bihar suspends interstate bus services till March 31

PATNA: Joining the nationwide efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Bihar State Transport Department has suspended interstate bus services till March

PATNA: Joining the nationwide efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Bihar State Transport Department has suspended interstate bus services till March 31.

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Plying of all government and private interstate buses will remain suspended till March 31. Also, the operation of city buses has been put off till March 31.

Transport secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said, “The decision to suspend the interstate bus operation by the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) was taken as a precautionary step to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

More than 21,000 people use about 350 interstate buses daily. Besides, 120 city buses ply in the capital on a daily basis, ferrying over 50,000 passengers daily.

Earlier, the state transport department had suspended operations of the international Patna-Nepal bus service till March 31.

However, the plying of auto-rickshaws and other public transport vehicles continue as usual.

In an order to ensure safe rides in the public transports, Agarwal has instructed the auto-rickshaw and private cab operators to sanitise their vehicles with bleaching powder, Dettol and spray.

Agarwal also warned that licence would be cancelled if any public vehicle was found failing to comply with cleanliness norms.