They have been off the routes for well over a fortnight and have suffered losses to the tune of `80 lakhs. They feel that it was their sacrifice for the successful organisation of the Games. But they are now waiting to take to the city roads as early as Friday. The operators of at least 1,600 Blueline buses are eagerly waiting for a formal order now.
The Blueline buses had been forced off at least 132 routes that were near Games venues or Village. The operators now say that they had sacrificed their livelihoods for the Games and now the government must take steps to bring them back immediately.
Shyam Lal Gola of Delhi Bus Ekta Manch claimed that every day there was a loss of nearly `4 lakhs for all the 1,600 buses. With the ban on their plying beginning on September 26, it comes down to nearly `80 lakhs, he claimed.
The Blueline bus operators plan to meet the Delhi transport minister on Friday.