The preventive measures of social distancing, lockdowns and border closure have battered both internal and external demand in sectors such as retail, accommodation, and food services. And the transportation industry was no exception to this. The regular runs of the Margao-Vasco shuttle buses operated by Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) have drastically reduced over the past two years owing to a drastic fall in commuters.
Life before & after the pandemic
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The once frequent shuttle service is now only available in the morning and evening, as opposed to earlier times when its availability was throughout the day. Before the unforeseen pandemic hit the industry, a total of 9 buses would run through the day in multiple trips on the route from Margao to Vasco, starting from as early as 7:40 AM.
Talking about the dip in footfall, a KTC official said “There is not enough passenger flow on the route ever since the lockdown two years ago. We, therefore, operate buses only during certain hours, since there is not much demand for shuttle buses throughout the day. The KTC local, however, is available through the day.”
The struggle for KTC continues
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“There was a point after the second wave where there was absolutely no response for the buses on this route. We were forced to bring the frequency down to only the current numbers as a result,” the KTC official said.
Presently, there are only two buses that are operational from the Margao depot and two buses from the Vasco depot to operate on this route. As per reports, the halting of bus service for a long two pandemic years also forced the working professionals to opt for carpooling from Margao to Vasco and back.
