MTC crew worried over crowd management during peak hours

MTC on Wednesday said commuters would be allowed to occupy 50 per cent of seats on buses from Thursday until further orders. As of now, the MTC operates about 2,800 buses a day as against its fleet strength of 3,300. 

Many conductors pointed out that the existing norm of taking passengers up to the seating capacity and not allowing them to travel by standing could not be implemented during the peak hours in the city. “At present, as per the norms, we could carry 40 passengers at a time. With the 50 per cent occupancy, we will be allowed to carry only 20 passengers. On average, 60 passengers board the bus at Avadi during the morning peak hour. We don’t know how we are going to manage on Thursday morning,” said a bus conductor at Avadi terminus. 

Another bus driver at Ambattur said unless the number of passengers comes down drastically, the 50 per cent occupancy would only remain on paper and the buses would be thronged by the passengers. could not be implemented. “Now that the suburban trains restricting the travel of the public during the partial lockdown starting Thursday. The buses plying along the local train routes will see more number of passengers than usual,” he predicted. 

K Arumugha Nainar general secretary of the CITU affiliated Transport Corporation Employees Union said the responsibility of enforcing social distancing norms should not be entirely left to the bus drivers and conductors alone. “The government officials and the police should also help regulate the passengers at boarding points. Considering the number of passengers and the buses being operated, the new rules would be impossible to implement like in the past,” he said.