Bus services in Dhanbad, both interstate and intrastate, have been badly affected over the past few days due to the lockdown and aggravating number of Covid-19 cases, with just 20 per cent of the 250 vehicles operating at present.

Ranchi-bound buses have become non-operational, with none out of the 40 vehicles running amid a sharp drop of passengers in the route. The state capital is among the worst affected districts in Jharkhand.

Buses between Bokaro and Dhanbad have been drastically reduced as well, with only 10 of them functioning out of 70. The passenger capacity has also been reduced to 50 per cent. Among the 15 Hazaribagh buses, only three are presently operational.

Talking to The Telegraph Online, Sumit Singh, owner of Bundela Travels, said, “The deteriorating Covid-19 situation, lockdown and the drive to carry out Covid-19 tests at various places are the main reasons for the lack of passengers. We have no choice but to reduce the number of vehicles.”

Singh said operators feel that the situation was better during the complete lockdown last year, as overhead expenses were reduced. “Now, less than 40 per cent passengers are travelling in buses, while overhead charges remain high,” he complained.

The operator said that they used to run extra vehicles during the last wedding season and also had bookings for the upcoming season. “But many weddings were called off due to the lockdown and bus bookings were cancelled,” Singh said.

Sunil Singh, Joint secretary of Dhanbad Bus owners Association, who operates around 20 buses to Bengal, said that operators had already been facing difficulties due to the Assembly elections in the neighbouring state. “The lockdown has added to our woes,” he noted.

However, the situation is slightly better for buses operating between Dhanbad and Bihar towns like Patna and Aurangabad, as more than 50 per cent of them are operational.