70% taxis lying idle in Rohtak, for months, owners on edge

Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, July 1

The Covid pandemic has hit the taxi business hard in the district with more than 70 per cent taxis continuing to remain stationed for the past three months.

Though taxis have been allowed to operate conditionally but people are not hiring the vehicles, forcing several owners to work with industrial units at much cheaper rates for ferrying their employees.

No takers this peak season

“There are more than 600 taxis, including tourist buses, in the city and tourism contributes over 60% to this business. June is considered as the peak season as people used to travel by taxis to hill stations and holy places during the summer vacation, but not a single person came to hire one this time.” Krishan Punia, Transporter

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Krishan Punia, a transporter, said the business was unlikely to come back on track this year hence, the thought of selling the taxis and exploring the possibility of starting a new business came to my mind but there were no buyers at a time when every business was badly hit by Covid.

“The state should waive passenger tax on buses for bailing us out of this crisis.”

“Taxis are being hired by people only for urgent visits hence, most of the owners have been without work for more than three months. Worst-affected are those who have taken loans to buy taxis. They are now finding it difficult to pay the instalment without any income. Some of them had to sell the taxis to be freed from financial liabilities. They are now searching for other work to sustain livelihood,” said Deepender Singh Dahiya, another transporter.

Deepak, a taxi owner, said people used to book taxis in advance well before the summer vacation to travel to Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Dalhousie, Nainital and other hill stations to get some respite from the scorching heat in June. “Many even used to visit religious places like Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Golden Temple in Amritsar (Punjab), but the Covid scare has forced people to stay at home this time. Drivers have been spending their time by playing cards at the taxi stand and smoking hookah.”

Manish, another taxi driver, said curbs on gathering at weddings and other social functions in view of Covid was also another vital reason responsible for the situation.