PANAJI
Financial crunch of the government has prompted Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) to tie up with the private buses instead of procuring a new fleet of buses. The pilot phase of the scheme will be commissioned only after a discussion with the private bus operators, majority of who have however rejected the offer.
The government had directed the KTCL to release a scheme to “hire” private buses on a temporary basis given that purchasing new buses is not feasible with a drained treasury. Around 100 Kadamba buses will be tentatively phased-out on April 1, 2023, after completing their eight-year service period.
“As an alternative to buying new buses, we will hire private buses. The operators will be paid km-wise. Each bus should complete 120-170 km per day to avail the scheme benefits,” KTCL MD Derrick Neto said while explaining the proposed scheme to The Goan.
The government will pitch in for viability gap funding, he added, claiming that the initiative will not only help the Corporation to tide over the shortage of buses but also private bus operators who are struggling to make ends meet post-Covid.
Under the scheme, around 700 buses will be taken on board with phase-wise induction, subject to the demand from passengers. In the first phase, Neto revealed, around 200 buses will be hired across different routes.
The Corporation currently has a fleet of 497 buses in addition to 50 e-buses. With the phasing out of 100-odd buses next month, the burden is expected to increase. “We have close to 233 demands from the general public and 180 schools. The scheme will plug the gap,” he added.
The bus operators, on the other hand, have refused to join hands with the loss-making Corporation. “We don’t want to fall into the trap. When the Corporation is itself in shambles, why do we tie up with them? We are running a smooth operation independently. It will be a loss for the private buses if we share our services with the KTCL,” private bus union leader Sudip Tamhankar said.
The operators along the Margao to Canacona route could however give their consent considering that inter-State buses from Karnataka are picking up local passengers on the local route.
