The Maharashtra government on Friday allowed private buses to operate with full capacity ahead of Diwali holidays and issued an SOP to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. The state government has directed private bus owners not to allow passengers without masks to board their vehicles and keep sanitsers at the entrance of buses along with extra masks. As per the SOP, a copy of which is with PTI, every passenger will be screened with a thermal gun before boarding
and those with fever, cough and cold will not be permitted to travel.

Drivers should ensure that proper social distancing is maintained among passengers while boarding and alighting from buses, the SOP stated. Buses should be disinfected at the end of each journey and even reservation offices should be cleaned and sanitised, it was stated. As per the guidelines, permit holders of buses will have to maintain proper records of disinfection of their buses.