As India looks forward to COVID-19 lockdown to be lifted and all businesses and transportation to get back to normalcy, we need a multi-dimensional approach at every stage of public transport so that social distancing can be practiced well. To ensure bus safety post-COVID-19, redBus has remodeled its bus services by launching the new Safety+ program in India. Whether it’s the mandatory use of masks by the staff on a bus, limited seating capacity, deep cleaning & sanitizing, or regular temperature checks, buses in India are now ready to take care of passengers’ safety after Coronavirus lockdown. With numerous discussions going on around post-COVID travel in India, here are the reasons why a bus is a safer mode of transportation after lockdown.
- Picture yourself stuck in Munnar, Chikmagalur, Orchha, Nerul, or any other small town in India during the lockdown, and now, when it’s over, you’re looking to return to your place. Airports are out of the question, trains are full, and cabs are unreachable! The only mode of transportation that you can pre-book and board from anywhere, are buses. Buses can rescue you from anywhere and everywhere in India, given the country’s 58,97,671-kilometer-long road network.
- The world after COVID-19 may experience an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, with people looking forward to more budget-friendly options. When compared to other transportation mediums, buses seem more budget-friendly to a wide cross-section of people.
- With social distancing implemented in all the public areas according to the government guidelines, it’s important to keep a limitation on the total number of passengers. Almost every bus operator is pondering over the thought of limiting the seating capacity per bus to 15–20 passengers. While this condition may also apply to passenger trains, it’s difficult to track the number of people getting in and out. On the other hand, buses are relatively smaller than trains, and the number of people on board is easy to track.
- Thanks to redBus, booking a bus online has become such an easy task from anywhere in India! We all know that COVID-19 spreads from human contact, and going cashless reduces contact, and the risk of Coronavirus spread ensures bus safety of the staff and passengers on board. One need not carry a physical passport or boarding pass. Just book your bus by paying online and download an e-ticket on your mobile device.
- Since buses operate on highways, it’s easier to divert a bus to any of the major hospitals along the highways in case of a medical emergency. On the other hand, this seems to be an impossible situation both on a train or airplane as you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. A bus driver can easily assist the passengers in redirecting the bus and providing transit to a medical center.
- As buses are relatively smaller in size than trains and airplanes, it’s easy to implement preventive measures inside the bus and modify or customize the bus according to the new guidelines set by the government. For perfect bus safety, there can be restrictions on seating capacity, sanitization of the buses after each trip, and thermal scanning for each passenger during the journey.
With two-thirds of the total Indian population using buses as its primary mode of transportation and innovative measures enforced by the government for bus safety, it’s quite likely that buses are going to remain popular even in the post-COVID period. redBus is ready to help you out in booking the best buses online in India post lockdown!