PANAJI: Waiting for its turn to ferry passengers in the autorickshaw from the Panaji Bus Stand, Sharfoddin Khan only saw one or two passengers a day.
The second wave was difficult to him, but the increase in fuel prices threatened to hit him and fellow rickshaws were harder than the tsunami.
Gasoline prices cross the RS100-Mark in Goa on Saturday placing additional tensions on the public transportation system.
A few months ago, commuting had negotiated for the cost of Humbler, making business increasingly difficult for people like Khan.
“Rates that accumulate from one or two trips don’t even cover gasoline costs from travel.
We have borrowed money from friends to meet needs.
If the fuel price is not reduced, how will we operate the vehicle?” He said.
The autorickshaw driver said that their vehicles operated very differently compared to others because they needed to be balanced with fuel and oil because they finally spent more money.
They are not alone in this difficulty.
The price of fuel that often increases also seems to encourage bus operators to the gap of financial destruction.
“From March this year until now, there is an increase in almost Rs 35 in Diesel rates.
We need between 40 to 50 liters of diesel per day depending on the route, because we finally spend almost Rs 2,000 per day on fuel.
It’s very difficult to Running a business in a situation like this, “said Shiva Cambli, President of the Association of Private Goa Bus Owners.
The majority of the buses are on the road because of bad footsteps because of a pandemic.
Load factors are only seen during rush hour on weekdays.
“We have struggled because of a pandemic.
The increase in fuel prices will further influence the transportation sector.
If the government does not intervene, we will not have a choice but to demand an increase in bus rates,” Cambli said.
Although the bus operator does have fuel subsidies, they must manage this cost itself since being stopped a few years ago.
However, this has not been proven to be a deterrent for taxi operators.
“Pandemic has burned a hole in our bag and the increase in fuel prices increasingly burned our wallet.
There is a big question mark on our survival.
What we ask from the government is a fuel subsidy that can cover this skyrocketing costs,” said the tourist leader of the taxi union , Laximan ‘Bappa’ Korgaonkar.
Even if the transportation department decides to play Jin, offering subsidies does not automatically resolve the problem of steep fuel prices.
With Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTC) leading by introducing an EVS vehicle (EVS) in its fleet, the current difficulty must be ideal functioning as an opportunity to revolutionize the public transport sector.
Of the 30 EV with KTC, 25 currently operates.
However, a series of fleets have not faced the direct impact of the increase in fuel prices.
“The Charging Station in Margao currently operates to recharge 30 additional buses and EVs that are expected to arrive.
We have also submitted 100 EV mini-buses and plans to have 24 charging stations throughout the country,” said KTC General Manager Sanjay Ghate.