On a bumpy ride

Struggling to stay afloat amidst the pandemic, transporters say third wave threat is killing optimism

After weeks of surging COVID-19 numbers, the health officials have some positive news that the virus infections are trending down. But the temporary reprieve seems to be the time given to gear up for the impending challenge, the possible third wave of the pandemic. Large parts of the population were affected by coronavirus in the first and second waves leaving a debilitating cascading impact on almost every sector. The transport sector has been among the worst hit in economic terms. Travel restrictions put in place to minimise the spread of the virus have made a severe dent in the revenues of both public and private transport operators. Many workers have been laid off while others have taken pay cuts and a few transport companies closed due to bankruptcy. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bore the pandemic brunt during both the waves. After a gap of 45 days, the public transport giant has relaunched long distance bus services as the government relaxed the curfew hours. However, it operated only short distance services of less than 100 km during the curfew relaxation hours till last week.