Madurai: Many TNSTC and Setc bus services, which are permitted to start operations with 50% occupancy by the government as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19, have seen the tacky of safety norms.
Standard operating procedures such as checking temperature, ensuring signs and providing sanitisers to passengers are not followed correctly.
Buses in Madurai City operate with passengers who occupy all seats, and during rush hour, passengers can be seen standing on a busy route.
Most buses connect various bus terminals in the city and those who operate up to several distant routes in the district are crowded.
Passengers, who care about security, urge all standard operating procedures to be followed on the bus.
G Senthilkumari, a resident of K Pudur, said that routes such as Mattuthavani-Arapalayam and Mattuthavani-Periyar were crowded during the morning and evening.
Most of the people traveling on the bus do not wear a mask properly.
Not only passengers but also conductors and bus drivers often attract their masks to chin.
“The conductor can question passengers and ensure that passengers use a sign properly.
Officials must examine violations and take appropriate actions to ensure that Covid-19 prevention measures are being followed correctly,” he said.
R Ganesan from Alanangallur said that the conductor allowed as much passengers as possible.
Obviously there was no intention from their tip to control the crowd.
Because prevention steps are almost not followed by many passengers, who are worried about avoiding traveling on the bus and arranging their own transportation.
“The situation is no better in bus services operated to other districts.
Buses can be a place for Covid-19 deployment if 100% of seats are allowed to occupy, because passengers must share seats with strangers for hours on inter-district buses,” he said.
An official from TNSTC said they had insisted on the bus crew to ensure all Covid-19 protocols were followed.
However, they find it difficult to control the crowd because passengers are not obedient when the conductor tries to prevent them from taking a bus, he said.