Lack of public transport options hassles office-goers

A lack of public transport options and lockdown restrictions amid a spike in the cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has made it increasingly difficult for people—mostly

A lack of public transport options and lockdown restrictions amid a spike in the cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has made it increasingly difficult for people—mostly office-goers from the city’s neighbouring districts—to commute to work. At key junctions on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, such as Iffco Chowk and Shankar Chowk, where private shared cabs and buses used to swarm before the lockdown, only a few shared cabs now operate. Commuters say that the limited number of passengers they carry to adhere to norms of social distancing further adds to the hassle.

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At Iffco chowk on Monday evening, Sanjeev Kumar, 45, a private company worker, approached at least five cabs for a drop to Mahipalpur in Delhi, eventually opting to wait. “Since fewer cabs are available, the route varies. Earlier, one could get a cab to Delhi from here in five minutes. I have been waiting for an hour. The cabs are also fleecing customers, charging anything between ₹100 to ₹150 for a drop to Mahipalpur against the earlier fare of ₹30 to ₹40. I cannot afford to take an Ola or an Uber every day and other options like buses and the Metro are restricted,” Kumar said.

Kumar was among a dozen commuters at the junction, who haggled with drivers of several private cabs, and on occasion, asked for a lift from private vehicles.

“I have been travelling from Mayapuri in Delhi to Manesar daily for the past seven years for work. I rely on shared cabs along the highway as they are cheap and convenient. Since I joined work last week, the waiting time at the junction has increased. Also, we are apprehensive about sitting in a crowded cab due to the fear of the infection. But the cab drivers also want to fill all the seats. So, it is a problem,” Nishant Yadav, who works as a supervisor in a factory in Manesar, said.

Shankar Chowk, another major junction which serves as a transit point for people to commute to the city from Delhi, Faridabad, Nuh, Palwal, Sohna, also witnessed a similar wait for cabs on Tuesday morning. A crowd of about 30 people stood in close quarters, with little social distancing, waiting for a ride to their respective workplaces.

“It is relatively easier to get a commute in the morning but one has to pay more and wait for a few minutes since cabs are limited. Due to fewer options, people leave for work earlier in the evening. After 7pm, there are hardly any cabs. Autorickshaws are not ideal for long distances across borders,” Brajesh Mishra, an accountant from Sohna, said.

HT had earlier reported that as the government eased the lockdown restrictions, criminals started targeting commuters along these junctions by robbing them after offering shared cab rides. At least three incidents of snatching were reported last week.