Travel Buses Doubling As goods Carriers Harming Passenger Safety
Travel buses have been carrying goods between Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka for the past two and a half decades, even though they pose a threat to passengers travelling in these buses.
ANANTAPUR: Most private travel buses transporting passengers between cities also carry goods to make more money. These goods packed in the boot and on top of the buses become an additional load, disturb balance and make driving the bus difficult.
Travel buses have been carrying goods between Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka for the past two and a half decades, even though they pose a threat to passengers travelling in these buses.
Anantapur deputy transport commissioner (DTC) Veera Raju told Deccan Chronicle that they have booked a total of 2,500 cases since April this year for such flouting of norms and violation of road safety.
“We have booked about 98 cases and imposed fines on travel buses for transporting goods either beneath or on the top of the vehicle,” he underlined.
Sources said traders opt to transport goods using buses to avoid taxes. For example, spices are transported from Karnataka to Hyderabad, while electronic goods and valuables are transported from Hyderabad towards Bengaluru. This amounted to zero business prior to reforms in GST, but is continuing even now.
Incidentally, Road Transport Authority authorities have no powers to open packed goods being transported in buses. Only the Commercial Tax department can do so. RTA authorities, during their raids, thus only impose fines and release the buses on the spot.
Similarly, RTA teams can only impose fines on bus operators for using their vehicles as stage carriers to carry passengers between Karnataka, AP and Telangana, even though these buses are meant to transport only tourists.
