Road trips favourite transport mode as buses, trains turn risky
Anand Kumar hates long drives but he just covered a distance of close to 1,600 km in his SUV, which took him three full days. He could have easily taken a twohour flight from Hyderabad or even a train which would have taken him about 24 hours. Yet he chose to travel from Hyderabad to New Delhi, where he had some official engagements, by road, which was disinfected before commencing the long journey.
With airports and railway stations or even buses being seen as “high risk” zones for the spread of the deadly Coronavirus, a growing number of people are now undertaking road journeys in their four wheelers to reach their destinations, be it for personal or official work. “I had to visit Delhi for official work and though I wanted to take a flight, I was in two minds after being told by family and friends that airports are high risk areas where there is every possibility of virus spreading rapidly as so many people keep flying in and out,” said Anand, a senior executive in a private firm which has its branches in both Hyderabad and Delhi besides other cities. Describing the journey as tiresome, he said he always hated long drives. “But I have decided to travel by road to any city as I feel that is the safest form of travel in the present times and that too without getting into contact with other individuals,” says the 38-year-old.
A home maker, Sarika Singhvee, a resident of Gachibowli had booked her air ticket to Bengaluru. She cancelled it in the last minute after fears of virus getting infected at airports was weighing heavy on her mind. She then undertook the nearly 600 km journey in her SUV along with her daughter Pranika.
Over the past one week, most people interviewed separately by Deccan Chronicle said they had travelled to Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and even Delhi from Hyderabad in the safety and comfort of their four wheelers, only to avoid taking a flight or train which could have got them in contact with many people. According to an official in the ministry of Road Transport and Highways, road travel in private vehicles is expected to increase in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak.
“I can drive for a few hours but I took along a driver just to make my long journey comfortable. But the flip side is that the journey gets expensive due to night halts and fuel and the drivers too charge more. It is also time taking and can drain physically and mentally,” says Abhishek Singh, a resident of Banjara Hills, who will be leaving for Mumbai on business work.