Fewer buses, no social distancing: Passengers complain as DTC resumes bus services

ETV Bharat reporter boarded one of the buses being run by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) amid coronavirus lockdown to take stock of the measures put in place by the Delhi government to ensure social distancing, hygiene and other important factors to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Delhi: As the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) resumed its bus services amid coronavirus lockdown, ETV Bharat reporter boarded one such bus to take stock of the measures put in place by the Delhi government to ensure social distancing, hygiene and other important factors to contain the spread of COVID-19.

While some passengers complained of a fewer number of buses plying on the road leading to chaos and inconvenience, some said that the public itself is not adhering to social distancing norms as they rush into the buses.

“I wanted to go to Lajpat Nagar but despite waiting for an hour, I didn’t get a direct bus. So I had to board this bus to Okhla and from there I will have to travel to Lajpat Nagar in a different bus,” Seema Sharma told ETV Bharat.

Echoing Seema’s concern, another passenger said, “I had been waiting at the bus stop for more than an hour but the buses didn't stop. It is also difficult to board buses full of passengers. The public should also cooperate but they simply rush into the buses violating social distancing norms.”

Before starting the bus services, Delhi government had put forth certain conditions and guidelines such as allowing only up to 20 passengers per bus, placing them in alternate seats, encouraging them to use smart cards for cashless transactions, among others.