SHILLONG, June 6: The state government’s failure to rein taxi operators in is threatening to make the Shillong inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) redundant.
Passengers and night super buses have been avoiding the ISBT due to the exorbitant fares charged by the cab operators.
“Some buses have started moving out of the ISBT as fewer passengers are coming to the terminus due to the high fares charged by the cabbies,” a bus operator said, declining to be quoted.
An official of the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) admitted night super or long-distance buses are avoiding the ISBT. He blamed this on the “fleecing” taxis.
He said two or three buses are now operating to and from Tura compared to five earlier. “Most people prefer share-taxis between Shillong and Tura instead of paying a fortune to travel to and from the ISBT,” he added.
To get past the issue, some bus operators have started hiring minibuses for the movement of passengers between the city and the ISBT. The MTC is also arranging a bus service, the official said.
The government had flagged the high taxi fares and tried to address the problem by operating SPTS buses for the passengers. The taxi lobby allegedly did not allow these buses to carry passengers to and from the ISBT.
The government had also fixed the rates for the local taxis to ferry passengers. It was an exercise in futility.
After the inauguration of the ISBT three months ago, the night super buses were operating from Polo. These are not allowed to enter the city now.
The shopkeepers at ISBT have an issue too. They have petitioned the MTC authorities to reduce the rent of their shops as their businesses have suffered due to the fall in the passenger count.
