Private bus operators’ strike in Shimla hassles commuters

Thousands of people faced inconvenience today due to the indefinite strike of private bus operators in Shimla over their demand of not to allow entry to Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses in the state capital that are coming from more than 40 km.

The private operators parked hundreds of buses outside the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Shimla in protest against the non-fulfillment of their demands. They also raised slogans against the HRTC.

As a result of the strike, people in the city were seen struggling to commute to their destinations. While many of them used their own vehicles and taxis, a majority of people, including schoolchildren as well as college and university students, waited for government buses. At the same time, hundreds of them were seen walking to their destinations.

The bus operators have been demanding that long-route HRTC as well as private buses should not be allowed to enter Shimla as these lead to traffic jams, affecting the timings and total trips of local private buses. They claimed that these buses also pick up local passengers, causing financial losses to private buses in the city. Besides, the private bus operators claimed that many HRTC buses, which were used as school buses, also ferried passengers, causing them financial losses.

They said that the notification regarding this order was issued in 2011 but the HRTC and some private bus operators were not following the directions. The private bus operators made it clear that they would continue with their strike in the city until their demands were met.

Meanwhile, RTO, Shimla, Anil Shimla, said that the department had held talks with the HRTC Managing Director, who had passed orders prohibiting the entry of HRTC buses coming from more than 40 km in Shimla. However, there was some misunderstanding between the private bus operators and the HRTC that had led to the strike. Therefore, the private bus operators must sort out the matter with HRTC officials, he added.

Around 106 local private buses operate in Shimla and provide transportation services to people on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the HRTC plied additional buses in the city to ensure people were not inconvenienced.