Bus drivers seek clearer guidelines on how they are supposed to operate given new COVID-19 guidelines brought in to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Private Bus Transport Systematic Supervision Committee Executive Committee Chairman San Aye said that they would lodge a complaint against a directive given by the Kayah State government for prevention of COVID-19 as the directive and order given to the bus operators was unclear.

The EC chairman San Aye was speaking to the media after the bus operators had a discussion April 10 on the government directive at Loikaw All Bus Routes Terminal.

The directive given by Kayah State government refers to drivers of all transport vehicles - trucks, express buses, city buses and taxis.

The directive orders all drivers (1) to wear masks, (2) wash hands with hand sanitizers every time they disembark and embark their vehicles, (3) all passengers must wear masks if the vehicle is a bus, (4) passengers must be seated at a prescribed distance, and (5) to spray their vehicles with disinfectant every time after reaching their destination.

Chairman San Aye said, “We are unclear on social distancing and the number of passengers. Shall we take only half of the passengers of the bus capacity or shall we place them within the prescribed distance?”

He referred to what Shan State bus operators where the buses carried half capacity and charged passengers twice the fare.

One of the bus operators said, “If they want us to reduce the passengers they should fix new rate for us. They have not yet changed the bus fare. And we would like to know how long this new arrangement will last.”

There are total of 68 bus routes and the number of passengers drastically dropped because of coronavirus so that many buses have stopped their operations since April 7.