KOLKATA: The Kolkata Traffic Police received numerous complaints this week against buses-many headed to the northern and southern fringes-not travelling the entire distance of their routes and short-terminating their journeys. Lalbazar has now asked traffic guards to check every complaint and take action under Motor Vehicles Act.
Bus unions claimed these stray incidents were a reflection of a bigger problem: certain routes were becoming non-viable as more than 30% passengers had stopped using buses amid the pandemic. "These are early signs of these routes winding up. The buses are losing passengers due to a number of reasons, including a large number of suburban passengers not going to the city frequently, people using alternative modes of transport, shift to two-wheelers and educational institutes staying shut for a long time," said Titu Saha, general secretary of City Suburban Bus Service.
"This is unfortunate and needs to be tackled before it grows into a more widespread menace. The demand for a hike in fares is an issue that may or may not have a rationale. But a descent into lawlessness should not be tolerated.-TimesView"
