Journalism of Courage
A day after it made carrying vaccination certificate a must for commuters to travel in its buses, PMPML administration on Tuesday began deboarding passengers who could not produce the required document.
The move has come under fire from a few activists who said it amounted to harassment of the commuters. The authority, meanwhile, has exempted those under 18 from carrying the vaccine certificates with them for now.
“Our drive started on Monday. On the first day, we warned commuters that if they don’t produce vaccination certificates, they will be deboarded. On the second day, we have deboarded seven such commuters. Strict implementation of the norm has started,” said Dattatray Zende, PMPML traffic manager.
Zende said since vaccination of teenagers from 15 to 18 years has started only this month, PMPML has made an exception in their case.
Zende said bus conductors and ticket-checkers have been asked to verify that commuters are either carrying hard copies of vaccination certificates or digital copies on their cellphones.
Opposing the “strict” stance, Jugal Rathi of PMP Pravasi Manch said PMPML should adopt a sensible approach. “A person might have taken his first dose but even before they could complete the mandatory three-month gap before the second dose, they might have contracted the infection. In such case, they have to wait for another three months to get the second dose. PMPML will have to consider this fact,” he said.
Rathi said PMPML should ensure that its action does not result in harassment of commuters. “PMPML should first create awareness and then implement the rule strictly,” he said.
Around six lakh people travel in Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses each day, leaving little scope for social distancing. Therefore, considering the surge in Covid-19 cases in the city, along with measures like compulsory masking, PMPML has made it mandatory to carry the full vaccination certificate, officials said.
Deepak G, a PMPML bus conductor on the Swargate to Pune station route, said, “We continuously instruct passengers to wear masks properly and make sure that everyone on the bus is masked up all the time. Those who do not have a mask are not allowed to board the bus.”
Meanwhile, despite the measures, several people are opting to stay away from using buses for now. “I have minimised the use of public transport after the rise in Covid cases. I only travel by bus if it is necessary,” said Saurabh Pawar, a commuter.
Naineshwar Gade, a PMPML bus conductor, confirmed that the number of passengers has reduced. “When the cases were low during the end of last year, the buses used to be jam-packed. But in the last few days, there has been a reduction in the number of travellers,” Gade added.
Officials said that due to drop in ridership, PMPML has slashed the total number of buses plying on various routes by 20 per cent.
For many passengers, however, buses continue to be their only option for transport. “We do get worried about catching the virus while travelling in overcrowded buses. But this is the only affordable mode for many of us to travel to our workplaces. We do not have a choice,” said Ashok Salunke, a Pune resident.
Nupur Khale, a regular commuter of PMPML buses, said authorities should do more to ensure safety of passengers. “In the current situation, it is important that the buses are not overcrowded. For this, the authorities should increase the number of buses on all the important routes,” he added.
