THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The bus fare hike announcement is imminent as the government has agreed in principle to the demands of the bus operators. The decision could be unpopular as it will result in the public spending more on commuting when reeling under the economic strain due to the pandemic.
There is little cheer in the private bus industry either. The damage caused by lockdown restrictions and the high diesel price have broken the industry beyond recovery, according to the bus operators. The private bus industry used to operate more than double the number of buses KSRTC plied.
However, the number of buses has come down from 12,500 to 8,000 since the Covid outbreak in 2020. “One can see the buses lying unused, overgrown with creepers on the roadside or in vacant plots. It will take at least Rs 2 lakh per bus to make some of them roadworthy.
Only a few will be back to business, that too if the government provides soft loans,” said Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation (KSPBOF) president M B Sathyan. According to him, the fare hike will only help the existing bus services to meet the expenses.
Though the government extended a loan of Rs 2 lakh per bus owner from Kerala Bank, the scheme is unlikely to take off because of the hurdles in the form of collateral required. “The bus owners are unlikely to meet the conditions set forth for proving loan worthiness. Those who have defaulted on interest payment anyway do not qualify for the scheme,” said Lawrence Babu, chairman of KSPBOF.
The new Vehicle Scrappage Policy which mandates scrapping commercial vehicles older than 15 years will further dent the private bus industry as the owners are unlikely to repair buses which are over 12 years old. The students are likely to be the worst affected with the fewer private buses. The services offered by KSRTC and vehicles operated by educational institutions have been found to be expensive and inadequate after the school reopening.
Transport Minister Antony Raju informed the assembly that only 1,622 school and college buses received fitness certificates out of the 27,218 such buses. “The private bus operators have demanded a minimum fare of Rs 6 for students. So a day’s trip will cost only Rs 12. The public transport system is crucial for ensuring a cheaper mode of transport and policies should be taken to support the industry to survive,” said Babu.