THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister Antony Raju has decided to hold talks with private bus operators ahead of their proposed strike from November 21. The meeting with the representatives of the Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation (KSPBOF) will be held at the Government Guest House at Ernakulam on November 14.
The bus operators held a token strike on October 31 seeking a hike in student concession fares and other issues faced by the industry. However, the government ignored the strike and the minister went on to say that the strike was unnecessary.
The bus operators, however, said that they are firm on their decision regarding the indefinite strike against the inordinate delay to increase the student fare by the government. KSPBOF, the umbrella organisation of bus operators in the state, has been demanding a student fare hike since March 24, 2021. They demanded that the minimum concession fare should be fixed at `6. The student concession was last fixed at `2 in 2012.