GUWAHATI, May 29 - The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) has till date ferried around 2,20,000 passengers across the State after resumption of normal bus services from May 4.
Only 50 per cent of the total number of seats have been used, which means only 15-16 passengers are sent on one bus.
�Normal paid services of buses both inter-district and Guwahati city service have been operating from May 4. The bus service was initiated in the State from April 25 in view of problems faced by the people in travelling to other districts for urgent work during the ongoing lockdown. A total of 2,090 buses were used from April 25 to May 2 for inter-district movement of around 32, 444 passengers before the normal resumption of bus service in the State,� ASTC Chairman Ashok Kumar Bhattarai told The Assam Tribune.
�While providing transportation, details such as name, address, phone number have been registered for each traveller so that if any Covid-19 positive cases are found among the travellers, passengers can be easily traced for necessary action. Besides, strict health screening is being done on the buses to avoid any chances of infection,� he added.
The occupancy is low considering the fact that ASTC has arranged for travel in only 50 per cent of the buses� total capacity as per lockdown norms.
ASTC has so far been providing transportation to passengers to respective quarantine centres from different railway stations and different airports of Assam, facilitating Guwahati city bus service, inter-district bus service, etc., in accordance with guidelines issued by the Central government.
�Free passenger service from Guwahati Railway Station, Dibrugarh, Lumding, Mariani, Badarpur, Kokrajhar and other places has been introduced to carry passengers to different quarantine centres of the State. It has ferried around 22,000 passengers from different railway stations of the State from May 14 till date,� Bhattarai said.
�Moreover, around 1,400 passengers have been transported by paid passenger service of ASTC from different airports like Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh from May 25 till date,� he added.
In this time of crisis, all ASTC staff, officers and district administrations have played a crucial role in doing their job very sensibly and in an organised manner, the ASTC Chairman said.
ASTC drivers, conductors, staff and officers associated with transportation of passengers are provided PPE kits to ensure safety first so that they are not infected while carrying out their duty. For safety of the drivers and conductors, protective cabins have been put in place in order to avoid undue contact with the passengers, Bhattarai further said.
