Owners' association pegs losses so far at Rs 3,000 crore; experts say use the 50,000 idle buses in the city to boost public network
Several school bus employees have turned into labourers, says the association president
The government thought about everyone, but forgot about us," say school bus owners and employees who were left jobless when the pandemic shut down educational institutions. The School Bus Owners' Association (SBOA), Maharashtra, said the industry is on the verge of collapse.
School buses parked in the city
They say the industry has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore in the past nine months. The school bus owners, operators and attendants are still not sure what lies ahead for them. They have urged the government to use the fleet for public transport till the schools reopen.
"We are a doomed industry. There are about 50,000 buses with an employee strength of about 1.5 lakh in the city alone. Since the lockdown began last March, schools have been shut and buses are off roads. It's a tragedy. There have been cases of suicides," SBOA-Maharashtra president Anil Garg told mid-day.
"Employees have turned into labourers with the hope that one day they can go back to driving school buses again. The government has thought about all other sectors, including dabbawalas, farm labourers and sex workers, but not a word on the school bus industry," he said.
Even schools don't care
"Forget about the government, even schools have been reluctant to think about us," Garg said. "The government has not been firm on their stand of reopening schools. Recently, it said schools will reopen after January 15, but later extended the lockdown till January 31. In all this confusion, school bus owners are suffering." "No one has even given a thought about a Standard Operating Procedure for school bus operation, which clearly means we have been completely forgotten," he added.
BEST could help
Transport experts also said the school buses could be used for public transport. "A more practical idea for Mumbai would be using the fleet. BEST could have worked out a deal to temporarily use these buses to boost its frequency," said Ajit Shenoy, senior transport expert with Mumbai Mobility Forum and Mumbai Vikas Samiti. BEST is currently running buses borrowed from the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation at Rs 75 per km.
Even other private bus operators have been insisting on the same. "There are 38,000 private buses, including for schools, in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. We can be the fastest and easiest solution to the problem at hand. But, unfortunately, we are never taken into consideration despite the fact that we run 90 per cent of public service buses across India," said Harsh Kotak, secretary of the Mumbai Bus Malak Sangathan.
A school principal in eastern suburbs said, "Even if the government wants to reopen the schools, parents are hesitant to send their kids. No one will be ready to pay for school buses while students are studying from home."
Struggle to find job
Gayatri Nikam, a school bus attendant, said, "I had got a job just two years back. After the lockdown, I struggled to find another job. I have now started cooking at other people's homes and delivering tiffin boxes." The transport department has made it mandatory for school buses to have women attendants, for safety.
Transport ministry officials said there was no immediate update on schools as of now. And about the school buses, a decision would be taken only after the government plans to reopen the educational institutions.
1.5 L
Employee strength in the city
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