Patronage increases for long-haul SETC services

Patronage increases for long-haul SETC services

Deepak.Karthik@timesgroup.com

Trichy: 14.09.2020

A week after the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) resumed long-distance bus services suspended during the lockdown, the patronage has surged across cities, leading to an increase in services, addition of special buses and resumption of trips to more destinations. While weekdays continue to handle normal footfall, special bus services are being operated to ensure social distancing and clear the rushof thoseheading to Chennai and Bengaluru from the districts.

In Chennai, patronage for SETC has been slowly increasing.Thecorporation hasbeen operating 400 buses of which 300 were to various tier-two cities,but nowthe number is500. There demand has been more to operate to the southern districts. There has been a corresponding marginalincreasein revenue too, which officials say,helpedthecorporation pay for its fuel cost.

Before Covid -19, the corporation used to operate 1,100 buses and net a revenue of around Rs1.75 crore, but now only half of its fleet are operating and with lesser number of passengers, said the official. As of now, SETC is confining its operation to within the state. Karnataka had requested it to resumeservices,butthe authorities were awaiting clearance from the government in this regard, the official said.

In Trichy,when services resumed on September 7 after five months, it operated only 13-15 buses connecting Chennai. The patronage subsequently increased by up to 40% and during the weekend, heavy demandsawservicesdoubleto 30 a week. This was because a large number of families began travelling to visit relatives and attend family events in Chennai and vice-versa. Professionals and those heading to their workplaces kept the demand alive amid the Covid-19 spread. “On Sunday, we operated five special buses to Chennai, but the demand is not back to the pre-Covid-19 times,” a manager with SETC Trichy said. Ultra-deluxe (pushback seater) bus services were also operated to Hosur and Nagercoil from Trichy according to the demand. Limited train services to Chennai and absence of private omnibus operators were cited as a key reasons for the surge in demand.

In Madurai too, the demand for SETC service has increased in a week. From operating 30 buses on day one, SETC Madurai now operates 38. Officials said they have been operating buses on Rameswaram-Madurai-Salem and Rameswaram-Madurai-Chennai routes for the past two days.

(With inputs from P Oppili, V Devanathan and A Subburaj)

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