‘Allow private transporters to ply buses on stage carriage permit’

INDUSTRY & LOCKDOWN

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As the president of the Punjab Private Transport Association for the past 30 years, Avtar Henry feels that the current Covid-induced crisis is the worst ever to hit the transport sector. Former Congress minister and the owner of the Kartar Bus Service, Henry shares with Deepkamal Kaur the effect of the lockdown on the business. Excerpts:

How is your transport business running amid the pandemic?

Like all other private bus operators, we have kept 60-odd buses off roads. We have six to seven trucks engaged in delivery of LPG cylinders. As the business falls in the category of essential services, the trucks have been plying during the lockdown.

In the absence of buses, people in villages, especially farmers, have been facing problems in travelling. They want to go to cities to make purchases as they usually do after selling their wheat crop. As purchases made by them contribute to the economic growth significantly, the travel facilities must be restored soon. —Avtar Henry, President, Punjab Private Transport Association

The state government allowed buses to operate from May 20. What is keeping you and other transporters off road?

We cannot ply buses on conditions set by the government as it unviable. It is understandable to cap the occupancy at half the normal, but the government must allow us to run it on stage carriage permit under which our buses can halt at intermediate stops such as Phagwara, Goraya, Phillaur, Ludhiana, Doraha and Khanna on way to Patiala. Otherwise, no one would travel by buses. At present, if someone wants to go to Phagwara from Jalandhar, he would have to purchase a ticket for Patiala and pay charges accordingly. No one wants to pay the amount for a mere 22-km travel.

Can you explain the economics of the business with reference to the present guidelines?

Consider a bus going from Jalandhar to Hoshiarpur. The two-way travel to Hoshiarpur works out to be almost 100 km. Almost 25 litres of diesel gets consumed in one trip, costing the transporter from Rs1,600 to Rs1,700. If the bus has 40 seats, 20 persons can board it for one side, paying Rs1,200 as per the present ticket charge of Rs 60 for one person. For a two-way trip, operator will earn Rs2,400. If we take into account, wages of staff, sanitisation expenses and hefty road taxes, along with wear and tear, the transporter will end up incurring losses. Thus, it is better to keep the business shut for the time being and wait for favourable guidelines.

How many private buses are off roads these days and what is the status of employees?

There are about 7,000 to 8,000 private buses, including mini-buses. In all, nearly 1 lakh families, including those of drivers, conductors and cleaners, have been affected by stoppage of services. Most transporters have relieved their staff.

Being a senior leader of the Congress and also the president of the Punjab Private Transport Association, what do you expect from the government?

As I already said, we must be allowed to run on the stage carriage permit. This will make our business viable. Since it is only the poor who use non-AC buses, the government must waive off road taxes for six months so that they continue to enjoy cheap transport facilities. We will soon take up the matter with the CM. If the government feels it cannot give liberty to people to travel as has been done on weekends this time, we certainly need to be compensated for losses. Also, in the absence of buses, people in villages, especially farmers, have been facing problems in travelling. They want to go to cities to make purchases as they usually do after selling their wheat crop. As purchases by them contribute to the economic growth significantly, the travel facilities must be restored soon.