Survival for minibus operators has become challenging in Covid-induced restrictions with most finding it hard to stay afloat.

Around 85-odd mini buses plying in the steel city, have all come to a grinding halt due to the health safety week imposed by the state government in view of the spike in Covid cases in Jharkhand.

The buses ply on different routes under the banner of Jamshedpur Shikshit Berojgar Mini Bus Association (JSBMBA).

The vehicles operate from the main bus terminus in front of Jama Masjid in Sakchi and ferry passengers to Govindpur, Telco, Baridih, Sundarnagar, Railway Station, Adityapur, Kandra etc.

Some owners of mini buses were plying their vehicles at the start of the lockdown last month, but stopped operating due to a very few number of passengers. “We ran around 25 buses at the beginning of the lockdown. But we attracted very few passengers since the bazaars closed at 2 pm. The buses were later withdrawn,” a JSBMBA member said.

With mini buses not plying, the income of operators has stopped. “It is tough days for us. Our income has come to a nought. We are finding it hard to pay our drivers and cleaners. We are somehow managing to stay afloat,” a bus owner said.

Vivek Singh, general secretary of JSBMBA, said the mini bus owners cannot survive in this situation. “We are paying a heavy price due to the restrictions. Minibus is our primary source of income, which has been adversely affected due to the restrictions,” he added.

Mini buses were the main mode of commuting for the middle income group during pre-Covid days. The vehicles stopped running during the first wave of the pandemic. However, very few chose to travel in mini buses when restrictions were withdrawn due to fear of infection.

“We fear people will continue to skip minibuses owing to the fear factor. The pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to us. It is very difficult to survive in this situation. Besides operating our vehicles, we also have to bear expenses towards maintenance and salary of drivers and cleaners, not to forget permits and other government taxes,” another member said.

“We sincerely adhered to directives of the district administration when the restrictions were eased last year by sanitising our mini buses. Moreover, we also sanitised the vehicles after every trip. But the passengers continued to stay away from mini-buses,” he added.