Kozhikode
The passengers’ struggle worsened on Friday with the private bus operators continuing with their indefinite strike by keeping off the road. The rush was unbearable in public transport buses in Kozhikode district as over 1,200 private buses joined the State-wide stir on the second day also.
Though the KSRTC was urged to operate special services to alleviate the commuters’ woes, shortage of staff hit the plan on several sectors. Meanwhile, the uninterrupted local and inter-district services operated by the KSRTC came to the relief of thousands of passengers.
The regular schedule and timing of many buses were changed with the weekend rush and the attempt to accommodate the maximum number of local passengers in the absence of private buses. Even the limited stop and fast passenger buses were found stopping at local bus stops for the convenience of passengers.
KSRTC officials said the continuous service operated on the Kozhikode-Kannur, Kozhikode-Wayanad and Kozhikode-Palakkad routes had benefited thousands of passengers who were hit by the private bus strike. The services were also found helping many students to attend their examinations, they said.
As ticket fare collection emerged as a challenge for many of the KSRTC conductors with the unexpected rush, many passengers came out with their free support to assist the crew. They collected the cash from the passengers and handed it over to the conductors to ease their job.
For the taxi operators, the indefinite strike turned out to be a profitable opening to try the maximum number of local services covering the village routes. Some of the private institutions were found using such operators’ regular service for the trouble-free movement of their employees.
The number of private vehicles attempting to operate paid service was minimal on city roads with the huge opposition raised by the taxi operators. Some of the private vehicle owners, who tried to operate a parallel service covering various hospitals on Thursday, were prevented in the middle of the road by the taxi operators’ association.
