Bengaluru opens but with empty Buses and Autos

In Bengaluru, Buses are allowed to carry a maximum of 20 passengers but this has not encouraged citizens to use buses in large numbers. This may be due to a combination of high fares (With the daily and weekly pass system) and the lurking fear of Coronavirus. Yesterday Karnataka added 145 cases, its highest till date.

Autos too found few passengers even though just one passenger is allowed and many Auto Rickshaws have put a glass board between the driver and the passenger. Autos are supposed to spray a disinfectant after a passenger gets down and before a passenger gets in. It is unclear such disinfectants have any impact at all.

Inter-district buses appear to be more crowded probably because of low frequency and desperation to reach loved ones or grab a business opportunity after such a long time.

Citizens are increasingly preferring own transport rather than taking risks in Public Transport including Autos. It is likely that this will only change when number of cases has reached negligible levels.

However, the good news is Bengaluru is open for business and much of the credit goes to CM BSY, his wonderful team and the Citizens of Karnataka who cooperated with the Government to reach this stage.

Pic Courtesy: Binai Sankar, Flickr