Bhubaneswar: Covid fear, service disruption blamed for low footfall on Mo Bus

BHUBANESWAR: There has been no increase in passenger footfall on the Mo Bus, as Covid cases continue to rise in the capital. In fact, the daily average footfall has come down from 15,000 in August to 12,000 in September.
Pre-Covid, the daily average footfall on the city bus service would be over 1.2 lakh. Now, it is just 10 per cent of that number, proving that commuters are apprehensive about availing themselves of a bus rise. In spite of the vehicles being sanitized after every trip, and at night before they are parked in the depots, most commuters are fearful of taking public transport.
Sources in the Capital Region Urban Transport (Crut) said the buses were running to full capacity only during the office rush hour in the morning, and sometimes during the evening when people returned home from work. For the remainder of the day, the buses were running nearly empty, they added.
Disruptions in service have also led to low commuter confidence. Soon after resumption of service, the buses went off the roads for two weeks in July after the government imposed a shutdown. This disrupted passenger flow. “With rising cases, many feel that travelling with strangers might invite trouble,” said a Crut official, adding that the situation would only improve with a reduction in the number of cases.
Srikant Rout, who used to commute to Cuttack every day on the city bus service, has switched to using his bike. “For some days, we must be restrained (about using public transport). I miss the bus ride but the infection is spreading very fast and I need to be careful. I don’t want to infect my family,” he said.
Of a fleet of 200 buses, the city bus service is running 60 buses on eight routes now. The Crut continues to post encouraging messages on social media to motivate people to travel on the Mo Bus. “While the buses are not running in full strength, we are preparing to serve you better. Do you have a memory with your favourite mode of commute? Did riding with us bring a new relationship into your life? Do you remember your first #MobusBus ride?” the Crut recently posted on its Twitter handle.
The same is the case with auto-rickshaws. Earlier autos would refuse commuters but now it is the other way round. “Out of the 22,000 auto-rickshaws in the city, only 5,000 are running. Many drivers have parked their autos at home and switched to working as farm labourers or daily-wage labourers. They are unable to repay their vehicle loans,” said Naba Kishor Mohanty, president, Rajadhani Auto Rickshaw Mahasangha.
The city on Monday reported 306 Covid cases against 506 recoveries. Of the new cases, 123 were detected from quarantine and the rest were local cases. With 14,942 recoveries and 68 deaths, the city now has 3,874 active cases. The total virus count has jumped to 18,898.
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