PERAMBALUR/TIRUCHY: Citing loss of revenue ever since the Vettri Payanan scheme was rolled out on October 2, private bus operators in Tiruchy, Perambalur and Ariyalur districts say they may cut down services during lean hours and possibly reduce workforce of the government does not help them by reducing road tax and giving them subsidy.
D R Dharmaraj, president of the Tiruchy Private Bus Operators Association and state secretary of the Federation of Bus Operators Associations of Tamil Nadu, said the federation has sought extension of Vettri Payanam to private buses as government will compensate for tickets. Alternatively, it has proposed limiting Vetri Payanam buses to 30% of services in each route, restricting eligibility to women below the poverty line, or introducing Aadhaar-linked Vettri Payanam ID cards to beneficiaries.
Dharmaraj added that nearly three lakh families dependent on the private sector across Tamil Nadu are affected by Vettri Payanam.
In Perambalur, operators said passenger numbers had fallen from around 120 per trip to 35-40, with nearly 90% of passengers now being men. Speaking to TNIE, D Ramkumar, a member of the Perambalur Bus Operators Association, said government buses were scheduled just five minutes before or after private services, prompting passengers to choose free travel.
"Each private bus operates between four and 12 trips a day. We are considering cutting two trips, one in the afternoon and another at night, due to declining passenger numbers and poor revenue," he said.
Ramkumar said a bus that previously generated around Rs 1.5 lakh a month earned around Rs 14,000 in 10 days since Vettri Payanam was introduced. At this rate, the revenue would be insufficient to cover road tax, insurance, rent and staff salaries.
Operators had also abandoned plans to purchase new buses and begun reducing employees' daily allowances.
S Selvam, president of the Tiruchy Private Bus Drivers and Conductors Association, said more than 500 drivers and conductors across the region were affected. Workers received a basic wage of Rs 250 a day, with additional payments linked to the number and distance of trips. Any reduction in services would affect their daily earnings, he said, adding that workers feared operators might not pay Diwali bonuses this year.
R Velmurugan, a private bus driver from Ariyalur, said maintenance costs were adding to the burden, with three sets of tyres costing around Rs 1.5 lakh every three months, apart from spare parts and repairs. He said operators also paid around Rs 4 lakh in GST annually through purchases of tyres and spare parts.