Passengers are stranded in Koyambedu due to the absence of buses from the main terminal to the southern districts today. In this situation, the trade unionists explained the reason for the inability to operate additional buses.
Today and tomorrow being the last days of the week, people rushed to their hometowns from Koyambedu last night. However, due to the absence of buses to their hometowns, they ended up stranded on GST Road. As a result, there was congestion on this road for about an hour. Many passengers expressed their frustration, saying, “We usually take 5 hours to reach our hometowns. But now, we’ve been waiting for 6 hours at Koyambedu.”
On festival days, consecutive holidays, and weekends, the Department of Transport usually operates additional buses. However, now it is being announced that there will be no additional buses due to the absence of buses. People are expressing dissatisfaction due to the absence of additional buses. Trade unions have explained the reason for this situation.
The management of the CITU trade union stated, “There are two main problems in this issue. One is the shortage of workers. The other is the shortage of buses.”
Profit or loss? When private buses operate, some argue that while individual bus operators profit, public transport corporations incur losses. Just as private bus operators cannot provide service like public transport corporations, they only focus on profit. Government buses are operated in remote villages and hilly areas with no service. There is no profit in these areas. Loss occurs. However, it is the government’s responsibility to provide public transport services to the people living in these areas.
This scheme of the government providing free bus service to various sections of society, including students and women, through the public transport corporations is being implemented by the Transport Workers’ Unions. Even in this scheme, there is a loss. The government needs to correct this loss. The government is now rejecting the transport workers’ demand for a proper salary, which provides service to 2 crore people every day. If this loss is corrected, the government bus service will be efficient and special.
Number of buses: If the government does not correct this loss, there will be difficulties in operating additional buses. In 2017, 23,000 buses were operating. But in 2018, the number of buses decreased to 19,500. For 8 years, there have been no new appointments for the workers who have retired or died. There are about 20,000 vacancies. Unable to operate about 1500 buses daily due to worker shortages.
In the last 5 years, a total of 4000 buses have been reduced. The Tamil Nadu people’s right to travel is disappearing. Therefore, it is necessary to operate closed buses. Full-fledged work must be done at workstations. Weekly work must be provided to the 8,000 people who are heirs in compassion. Individualism and contracts should not encourage private bus operators. If the government corrects all this, the problem that has occurred in Koyambedu today will not happen again.