THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A majority of private bus operators went off the road on Thursday demanding a hike in ticket fare causing inconvenience to passengers in the rural parts of the district. The Kerala State Private Bus Operators’ Federation (KPBOF) said a notice regarding the proposed strike was given to the government two weeks ago and till date, no one had approached them to discuss the issue.
Though the strike didn’t affect passengers inside the city limits, those coming from rural areas struggled. “I work as a house help in Pattom and have to reach my workplace at 8am. Since I come from a remote area, I have to depend on private buses. Due to the strike, I couldn’t reach on time,” said Vinaya, a native of Nedumangad.
Saranya S, another commuter had a similar experience. “I reached my office by tagging along with my neighbour. Though autorickshaws and Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses are there, many of them don’t ply in various areas”. Meanwhile, some commuters said the strike did not affect them. “I did not face any difficulty as some buses were operational,” said Ajay S Kumar, a commuter.
M B Sathyan, president of KPBOF said according to the M Ramachandran Committee, a hike in minimum fare was proposed last yer.
“We held several discussions with the transport minister and other authorities concerned to increase the ticket prices to Rs 12 for the public and `6 for for students. However, there was no favourable decision. With rising fuel prices, private bus operators won’t be able to survive if the fare is not increased. We will continue the strike until our demands are met by the government,” said Sathyan.
Sabu S, a bus operator, said, rising fuel price is a crisis for them affecting their survival. “The bus fare needs to be hiked for our survival. Though we have been struggling since the Covid outbreak, our plea has fallen on deaf ears,” he added.