With the lockdown relaxations in place, the Kerala Road Transport Corporation (RTC) buses have resumed services on Wednesday, May 20.
The services would operate from 7 am to 7 pm depending on the number of passengers and the necessity at a given time.
According to a directive issued by the Kerala RTC on resumption of services, passengers would be allowed to enter the buses only through the back door and should alight through the front door only.
As of now, only the ordinary buses will be conducting services. The passengers should wear masks and follow physical distancing. They will be allowed to enter buses only after using hand sanitisers.
Those who have fever, cough, sneezing, vomiting or any kind of symptoms shouldn't use public transport. Nobody will be allowed to travel by standing inside the buses, all window shutters should be kept opened, no one should spit sitting inside the bus, the buses should be disinfected. Passengers should also keep physical distancing while boarding the bus and take bath with soap while entering their homes on return.
A total of 1850 buses would conduct services across the state. The highest number of buses (499) will be conducting service in Thiruvananthapuram while only 49 buses would be on the road in the northern district of Malappuram.
The services would be conducted on the existing routes only. The Corporation has also directed unit heads to start the services from the prominent places in a district and shouldn't operate it till the district border but should be stopped at an important place before the border.
No services should be conducted to the containment zones and buses shouldn't pass through containment zones and no fresh services should start.
According to TV reports, the buses have begun services.