RTC Buses That Have Started Operating Post Lockdown
As India enters Unlock 0.2, several state-owned road transport corporations have geared up for safe travels amid the Coronavirus crisis. Whether it’s Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), or Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC), the respective state governments and bus officials have started to prepare the buses in such a way that they can be safer for passengers and prevent the spread of COVID-19. While most of the RTC bus bookings are available only intrastate currently, some have also started operating interstate. Let’s take a look at some of the RTC buses that have started operations post lockdown and are following preventive measures against COVID-19!
APSRTC
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses started running from May 2020 as the Government of India announced the end of lockdown 5.0. The APSRTC officials are taking care of all the necessary safety measures and have made seat arrangements in accordance with the social distancing norms. Some seats in the buses are also marked with a cross to ensure that no two people sit together. However, in Deluxe and Super Luxury APSRTC buses for online ticket booking, the middle seats are removed to maintain physical distance. In addition to this, buses are equipped with sanitizers which all passengers are required to rub their hands with before boarding the buses.
KSRTC
The buses by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation are regarded as one of the best in India, and this also reflects in the safety measures KSRTC has taken post lockdown. In the first phase of safety, the Managing Director of KSRTC visited major bus stations to inspect the situation and interact with the passengers and staff. Later, most of the KSRTC buses went through the cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting process. Three buses were specially designed and dedicated for COVID-19 swab collection. In addition to this, COVID awareness program was organized for KSRTC and BMTC staff.
UPSRTC
Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation or UPSRTC also went through some major changes post lockdown in order to ensure a safe travel environment for passengers who are looking for RTC bus booking. While the Managing Director of UPSRTC created a video explaining the COVID-19 safety measures to the bus staff, other preventive steps such as cleaning the buses before the commencement of the journey, daily screening of the staff, and mandatory face masks during the trip are being taken.
WBTC
West Bengal Transport Corporation also started regional services from Unlock 1.0. WBTC had been operating skeletal bus services even during the lockdown period for any emergency and health workers. While the buses are operating on over 20 routes at present, the number of passengers in each bus depends on the bus size and health and safety norms issued by the government.
Kerala RTC
After being shut for a long time, Kerala RTC buses have started inter-district services from 26th June. These are hourly super-deluxe relay services by Kerala RTC that are operating from 5 pm to 9 pm on Thiruvananthapuram- Thrissur- Thiruvananthapuram route. Passengers who want to travel on Thiruvananthapuram- Kollam, Kollam-Alappuzha, Alappuzha-Ernakulam, and Ernakulam-Thrissur routes can travel by these buses. The Kerala RTC officials are taking care of the sanitization in buses and have made it compulsory for the bus crew to wear masks and gloves.
HRTC
The Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has resumed bus services from 1st June. The buses, currently, have only 60% passenger occupancy to maintain social distancing onboard and will operate only between 7 am and 7 pm according to COVID standard procedures. The buses are operating on 2,200 routes and passengers are restricted to board and deboard the bus when passing through a containment zone.
MSRTC
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has created ‘Mission Begin Again’ for office goers and government employees in which 250 buses will run in Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In addition to this, 400 MSRTC buses have already been running for essential workers.
While some RTC buses have started operating across the country, it’s important to follow the COVID-19 protocols. Few RTCs like APSRTC have asked the bus staff to compulsorily use smartphones so that they can be well-informed with the latest COVID updates and accordingly interact with the passengers. Aarogya Setu app is also made mandatory for the staff as well as passengers. You can check the redBus website for the latest information on RTC and book an RTC bus to your desired destination through redBus website or application.
