Struggling to continue his tourism business with the Covid restrictions, a man in Kerala is selling his buses for Rs 45 per kg.
A tourist bus operator in Kerala is forced to sell his buses at Rs 45 per kg. (Photo: PTI/Representational)
Covid has brought many down to their knees. One such group is the tourist bus operators in Kerala. Now, one among them is selling his buses at Rs 45 per kg. Such is the state of business for them.
According to Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA), a bus owners’ association in Kerala, the total number of tourist buses in the state has come down from 14,000 to 12,000 during the pandemic.
Read: How Covid-19 wrecked Kerala tourism
The operator who is set to sell his buses at the rate of scrap is Kochi-based Royson Joseph, the owner of Roy Tourism. He said he sold 10 out of his 20 tourist buses in the last 12-18 months as the travel restrictions hit them hard.
“In the first three days of this week, only three buses made trips to Munnar. Usually in February, the roads to Munnar witness heavy traffic. That’s not the case now,” he said.
According to Binu John, state president of CCOA, more than a thousand tourist buses were attached by banks or money lenders in the last two months alone. The exact numbers will be out after March.
Read: Covid-19: Kerala tourism sector hit hard by the pandemic
The Sunday lockdowns implemented recently caused them massive harm as some package tours of 8-10 days were affected. Given that they pay hefty road tax, the tourist bus operators are definitely facing a crisis.
Every tourist bus operator pays at least Rs 40,000 per quarter in road and vehicle tax. The higher cost of fuel is also a concern. The operators hope that the government will at least withdraw the tax till all Covid restrictions are lifted.
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