Kochi: Now commuters travelling to major cities like Bangalore and Chennai or back can opt for insurance cover, thanks to a novel initiate by the bus ticketing portal TicketGoose.com which has tied up with United India Insurance.
So far, the main disadvantage faced by commuters travelling by private luxury buses was the absence of any provision for compensation in case of mishaps or loss of baggage and the like. This is because private operators are not allowed to run stage carriers and as such the services are not legal unlike those operated by the states.
“The policy will provide a personal accident cover of Rs 2 lakh per passenger, for damage or loss of baggage upto a maximum of Rs 15,000, emergency medical expenses upto RS 10, 000 and consequential loss due to disruption of travel, upto Rs 5,000. It’s available for buses of all travels booked through the site. Currently, we associate with close to 700 bus operators and agents,” said Karti Easwaramoorthy, its president.
However, the passengers have to dole out an extra Rs 20 for availing of the optional facility. “I would surely go for the insurance cover if the ‘loss due to disruption of service includes late arrivals also.
However, even otherwise, Rs 20 is not a big amount if one were to consider the luxury bus mishap in the Bangalore-Thirivananthapuram route in recent months,” said Midhun Mohan, an IT professional working in the garden city.
