Ahmedabad municipal transport service reduced fleet on road by 100 buses, bus rapid transit system by 10, due to fewer commuters
The high-voltage ICC World Cup semifinal between arch rivals India and Pakistan resulted in a revenue loss of nearly Rs6.5 lakh for Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) and Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) after they had to cut down on buses on the roads because of fewer commuters in the city.
City roads and bus-stops wore a deserted look as people were glued to their television sets. The AMTS and BRTS buses, which are generally overcrowded during the peak hours, were plying empty or just a few commuters on Wednesday.
Officials expected a revenue loss of around Rs5 lakh and Rs1.5 lakh for AMTS and BRTS respectively. "Generally, our revenue stands around Rs25 lakh per day, which is likely to come down to Rs20 lakh on Wednesday," said an AMTS official. Similarly, BRTS generally earns Rs6 lakh per day with a fleet size of 61 buses, which was expected to come down to Rs4.5 lakh.
AMTS took more than 100 buses off the road in the second shift on Wednesday. Moreover, nearly 70 drivers preferred to take time off to watch the match. "There were hardly any passengers seen at the bus-stops in the afternoon," said an AMTS official.
Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL) also reduced number buses plying on BRTS route due to less traffic on the route. AJL decided to run only 51 buses instead of regular fleet of 61 buses. "As per our survey, only 10-15 passengers were travelling per bus," said the official.
However, BRTS rides became faster with buses taking less time to cover the distance between RTO and Maninagar. Generally, a bus takes around 42 minutes to reach Maninagar from RTO, which came down to 31 minutes due to less traffic at junctions, he said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}