KOCHI: Private bus owners on Thursday announced an indefinite strike from Friday after their proposal to increase bus fares and effect a hike in students’ concession was rejected by the state government. Joint Co-ordination Committee (JCC), which includes 12 bus owner associations representing all private bus services in Kerala, informed reporters of the decision here. As part of the strike, representatives of all 12 bus owners associations will observe a hunger strike in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. A protest will also be organised in each district in the coming days.
Though the government hiked the minimum fare in transport buses from Rs 7 to Rs 8 the other day, private bus owners claimed it was not enough. “We are facing a crisis owing to the frequent rise in fuel prices and taxes. The fare hike announced by the government aims to bail out KSRTC. We will withdraw the strike only if the government fixes the minimum fare to Rs 10,” said Lawrence Baby, JCC president and secretary of the Kerala State Private Bus Operators’ Federation.
They also expressed concerns over students’ concession. “Around 60 per cent of passengers in short-route services are school and college students. The rate was last revised in 2014. Since then, fuel prices and other expenses have increased manifold.
We have been urging the government to revise the concession, but nothing happened,” said T Gopinath, general secretary of the All Kerala Bus Operators’ Organisation. The bus owners claimed the Justice Ramachandran Commission appointed to study the matter had recommended an increase in ticket prices. It recommended fixing the minimum charge of Fast Passenger buses at Rs 11, that of Superfast and Superexpress buses at Rs 22, of Super Deluxe buses at Rs 30 and of AC Service buses and AC Volvo, at Rs 44 and Rs 45, respectively.