A lazy day for wheels

Both public and private transport systems saw a dull day owing to the verdictDespite the tight police security, the general public remained at home with families, which led the public transport to suffer.Even during peak morning hours, BMTC buses, which on regular days are jam-packed had few passengers.BMTC Divisional Transport Officer Sampangiram Gowda said, The buses ran as usual. However, the number of commuters was very less. On some trips, there were not more than five passengers.Even the airlines suffered as there were few takers.Many people changed their travel plans for both international and domestic flights. Around 30 per cent of the bookings were advanced as people flew to their destinations well ahead of their schedule. There was not much traffic yesterday as people stayed back home. After 12 pm, most of the flights had less occupancy with just 20 per cent passengers, said Amarnath, owner, Matha Air Travels.Almost all private offices and public sectors were closed by 2 pm, so some places saw traffic jams in the afternoon. People were seen rushing to their homes before the verdict was out. But people were seen enjoying driving on the empty roads.Nearly all shops were closed in the city anticipating violence after the verdict.Long queues were seen in front of ATMs as banks were closed for public due to half yearly closing of accounts. I went to an ATM near KSRTC bus stand, but there was a big queue there, said Kavitha M, a commuter.Satish Kumar, an auto driver said, There was no one to board auto rickshaws so we had a tough time.Mahendra Kumar, Secretary, Karnataka City Taxi Operators Association said, There were not many bookings yesterday, andu00a0 hardly any taxis plied on city roads. By around 2.30 pm, people started logging out, following which, the roads became empty. u00a0