WB govt allows private buses with 50% capacity, but owners keep them off roads due to high costs in Kolkata

Though the West Bengal government allowed private buses to run with 50 per cent seating capacity in Kolkata on Thursday, owners have kept them off the roads due to high expenditures on fuel, insurance, and taxes.

Several buses were seen lined up in the bus depot and the doors of buses were seen locked.

"We are not going to run the buses because the fuel prices have gone high and we cannot run the buses with the same fare. Nor we can ask passengers to pay extra. We are paying money for the insurances, taxes but what is our source of income now? Till the state government comes out with the solution, we are not running buses," said Daljit Singh, owner of a private bus while speaking to .

"In 2020 also we had raised the demands and we were assured that the problems will be sorted out but nothing has happened till date" he added.

On the other hand, passengers are facing problems as there are not enough busses operation.

Earlier Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced relaxation for the public and private buses to run with the 50 percent sitting capacity from July 1 following all Covid protocols.

( With inputs from ANI )

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