We encourage only long-distance travel within city: BMTC 

Bengaluru: With buses and cabs plying on the roads for the second consecutive day the state gradually started limping back to normalcy, adhering to the new norms issued by the government after easing of restrictions.

After remaining in confinement for nearly two months, drivers of taxis, buses, and autorickshaws poured on to the roads with their vehicles, but with caution.

The Karnataka government had on Monday announced an easing of restrictions, allowing buses, autos, and cabs to operate in the state with strict guidelines that drivers have to compulsorily wear masks and use hand sanitizers.

It also specified the number of passengers to travel in these vehicles. There were, however, problems galore all over. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) ran 1,500 buses on the first day in the state capital after the restrictions were relaxed.

However, instead of issuing travel tickets, the BMTC started issuing daily, weekly and monthly passes. A public relations officer of BMTC told PTI, “We are encouraging only long-distance travel within the city instead of issuing tickets from one bus stop to another. Only those who are in need to visit from one place to another will travel.”

He said only 20 people were allowed inside buses and the travelers were encouraged to use the QR codes put up inside, to make cashless payments.

The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), a union of bus passengers, opposed the BMTC compelling people to buy passes and not tickets from one destination to another. Most of the city buses ran almost empty.