The Odisha Government on Saturday hiked the bus fare ranging from 4 to 7 paise per km, much to the delight of the private operators and chagrin of the daily commuters.
As per the new rates decided by the High Power Technical Committee of the State Government, fare in the Ordinary category has gone up from 55 paise to 59 paise per km while the Express category fare rose to 62 paise, up by four paise.
In the De luxe category, the fare went up by 6 paise __ from 76 paise to 82 paise per km, whereas the air-conditioned De luxe slab saw the hike by 7 paise __ from 93 paise to `1. Similarly, the minimum fare for the Ordinary category was also hiked from `2 to `5. In the other three categories, the minimum fare remained unchanged __ `5 (Express), `13 (De luxe and AC De luxe).
The private bus operators had sought a raise following the diesel price hike and had threatened to go off the roads. The State Government had assured them that their demand will be considered.