Pune: Passenger count drops at intercity bus stops amid contagion scare

PUNE: Usually bursting at the seams, the MSRTC bus stop in Wakdewadi wore a deserted look on Thursday, with most people avoiding travel for fear of contracting coronavirus.

The few passengers arriving at the bus stop also ensured precautions by way of masks and not touching anything but their own belongings.

"Ever since Pune recorded two confirmed cases of coronavirus, the passenger traffic has been on the decline. It has reduced by as much as 50% over the last three days," a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employee posted at a booking counter at the bus stop said.

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Anuj Kharde, a Modern College student, who was returning to his home in Shirdi, said his family members had been worried about his well-being since Monday when a couple from the city tested positive for Covid-19. "After the cases soared, my parents told me to return home immediately," he said, adding that his cousin stayed on Sinhagad Road, from where the first coronavirus case of Pune was reported.

Rishikesh Kharde, another youth travelling with Anuj, said, "I was supposed to fly to

Dubai

on Thursday night to join a company there as a graphic designer. However, with coronavirus cases rising here and in Dubai, I have cancelled my ticket. Now, I am heading back home in Shirdi."

Drivers at the bus stop said the authorities must provide them with masks as well. "Many of us are on the road and different passengers travel with us. We should be provided with masks for safety," a driver said, adding that people were wearing masks mostly in big cities only.

MSRTC staffers at the Swargate bus stop said the real picture would emerge only during the weekend. "The reduction in passenger footfall will be gauged only on weekends as it is the middle of the week right now and most people travel during the weekends. Also, the board exams have just started," an MSRTC official at the Swargate bus stop said.