Malappuram: An indefinite private bus strike broke out in the district yesterday. The students had a hard time as the annual examination was being held. At the same time, KSRTC gained by relying more on passengers. KSRTC conducted 4 additional services and 33 additional trips at various depots. The staff and teachers waited long in the morning and evening to reach their destination. On major routes, the buses were heavily congested as passengers relied on KSRTC.
Passengers in rural areas were most affected. The cost goes up when you have to rely on autorickshaws and the like. Two additional services from Ponnani depot to Edappal route, one additional service from Malappuram depot to Tirur-Manjeri route and one additional service from Nilambur depot to Vazhikkadavu-Kozhikode route. Apart from this, 8 more trips were made on the Tirur-Manjeri route from Malappuram, 13 on the Vazhikkadavu-Kozhikode route from Nilambur, 2 on the Thrissur route, 4 on the Thrissur route from Perinthalmanna and 6 on the Chavakkad route from Ponnani.
The extra trips were run during free time between regular services and considering the rush of passengers. At the same time the regular schedules at all the depots ran exactly. KSRTC officials said that if the strike continues today, additional trips and services will be conducted in the morning and evening, especially during off-peak hours, considering the rush of passengers. Hamza Erikunnan, district secretary of the Bus Operators Association, said the bus strike would intensify from today.