ABDUL WAHAB KHAN | NT
Staff Reporter
PANAJI
The state-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited will rope in private buses by December to operate on the Canacona-Margao route on trial basis.
Private operators will provide buses with drivers and will have to spend on fuel and maintenance for which they will be paid a fixed amount on the basis of every kilometre travelled.
“The state government has made the KTC as a ‘special purpose vehicle’ for the purpose. We have already forwarded draft proposals putting a condition that private buses should also ply on weekends and that they will bear the cost of maintenance and fuel. In coming days, the government will constitute a special body that will take the necessary action in this regard,” KTC chairman Carlos Almeida said. The special body will decide on bus fares and educational qualifications required for retaining the private bus conductors.
To start with the project, the KTC will monitor the use of electronic ticketing machines and pass system to arrest revenue leakage. It will keep an eye on ticketless travellers.
“We will depute our conductors but retain the staff of private bus operators if they fulfil educational qualification criterion. However, no private buses will be repainted to look like KTC buses,” he added.
Under the pilot project, the government will run buses under the KTC management for a trial period to assess practicalities of the project so that the scheme can be extended to other routes.
“We have carried out a survey on the Canacona-Margao route and ascertained the need for more buses. We will also operate our buses and if the buses are found to be in excess then the private buses will be diverted to some other routes to increase their earnings,” Almeida said.
Managing director of KTCL Derrick Neto said the government would constitute the special body to look into bus fares, qualification criteria and other aspects before making any decision, which will be taken in consultation with private bus operators.
However, the criterion – minimum educational qualification of ‘tenth standard’ passed for bus conductors and ‘eighth standard’ passed for drivers – could be exempted for retaining them under the scheme.
“If conductors don’t meet the educational qualification criterion but know to read and write then they will be retained. But a driver ought to have working knowledge of all road signage and other common driving practices,” the managing director said.
Most private bus operators make considerable profits but in the absence of ticketing system a major part of the collections is usually taken away by conductors.
It must be noted here that the government came out with some measures in order to improve local bus services. However, there has been very little improvement in the services.
Due to inability of private operators to adopt pass system because of technical difficulties, the government introduced the ‘Goa state fuel subsidy to private stage carriage operators scheme, 2014’ and the ‘Goa state public transport insurance contribution scheme, 2014”.
So far, insurance benefits have been availed by 129 beneficiaries, while 38 cases have been under process.
On the other hand, fuel subsidy has been availed by 123 beneficiaries and 41 cases have been under process.