KOCHI: Private buses in the state will go off the road from Tuesday to attract the government's attention to various issues plaguing the sector. The primary demand raised by the Kerala Private Bus Operators' Federation (KPBOF), which has called the strike, is an increase in the bus fare.
Pointing out that there has been no hike in passenger fares for some time now, KPBOF president MB Sathyan said the present scenario demanded a revision of the ticket fare both in the case of the general public as well as the students.
Another demand the owners have raised is the writing off of road tax for the COVID lockdown period, Sathyan said. He said the strike will go on indefinitely until bus owners get an assurance from the state government in this regard. "With the lifting of COVID curbs, bus ridership is slowly picking up. However, not all buses have resumed services. Only about 9,500 to 10,000 buses are on the roads now," he said.
According to the KPBOF president, several bus operators are finding it difficult to roll out their vehicles because the funds required to make them fit for the road is huge.