Ludhiana: Hassled, commuters demand more buses

The employee unions of the PEPSU Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways, who are protesting against the Union government’s proposed hit-and-run law, had from January 23 refused to take more than 52 passengers on a single bus

With government-run buses refusing to board more than the 52 passengers, the maximum capacity allowed, commuters in the city are demanding more buses to tackle the passenger rush as they are left with no other option but to look for private sources to travel, forcing them to shell out more from their pockets.

Passengers at the bus stand of Ludhiana. (HT)

The employee unions of the PEPSU Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways, who are protesting against the Union government’s proposed hit-and-run law, had from January 23 refused to take more than 52 passengers on a single bus.

Commuters feel that even though there is reduction in the incidents of theft, eve teasing and accidents, since this decision, but at the same time, passengers are left stranded waiting for buses.

Arshpreet Singh, a local commuter, said, “I take a bus to Jalandhar on a daily basis and for the past few days, me and my friend are facing issues due to this protest and have to wait for private buses. Day before yesterday, we had to take a cab service which was quite expensive.”

“There should be more buses for passengers to ease the rush as we cannot afford to shell out this much on a daily basis,” he said.

Another commuter, Rakhwinder Singh, termed the decision as a positive initiative. He said that overloading in buses was one of the main reasons behind mishaps.

“The passengers, who are in a hurry to reach some where, are left in the lurch when the bus staff doesn’t allow them to board. There should be more buses,” he said.

Sukhdeep Singh, secretary of 25/11 PRTC Contract Workers Union said, “The few benefits that came along with this decision include a decrease in the number of accidents and nearly no case of fare evasion.”

Representative of PRTC Contract Workers’ Union (Azad) Swaran Singh said that the Centre’s hit-and-run law and state government’s anti-employee policies forced them to protest.

He said that they are facing ire of the passengers for not allowing more than 52 passengers, but when they explain the reason to them, they agree.

Ranjit Singh, general manager of Punjab Roadways said, “Our buses usually still carry more than 52 passengers because we cannot let our passengers suffer, but there are times when the number of passengers do not cross 52.”

Talking about the lack of staff and buses, he said that in order to strictly not allow more than 52 passengers, more buses and employees are required as the passengers are much more than their capacity.

Commenting on the impact of this decision on the revenue generation, Ranjit said, “There is hardly any difference as we are still carrying more than 52 passengers, but the impact could be seen on the fuel cost as mileage improves due to a decrease in overloading.”