TIRUPPUR /COIMBATORE /CHENNAI: Private bus operators in Tiruppur have unilaterally hiked the fare by around Rs 10 for buses operated to suburban areas and neighbouring districts. While transport department officials in Tiruppur are set to hold a meeting on July 7 in this regard, their counterparts in Coimbatore have warned of strict action, including cancellation of permits, if fares are hiked.
Social activists and the public have flagged the arbitrary increase in fares of buses operating from Tiruppur to some suburban cities, including Coimbatore. It is alleged that the bus fare from Tiruppur to Coimbatore has been increased to Rs 42, instead of the usual Rs 36.
P Krishnasamy, a social activist, said, "Fares on private buses operating from Tiruppur to Coimbatore and Udumalaipet have been raised without any government permission or official orders. This will certainly affect the general public. Similarly, fares are being charged irregularly on minibuses within Tiruppur. For example, a fare of Rs 20 is being charged instead of Rs 12 from Tiruppur Central Bus Stand to Kaniyampoondi. However, despite complaints, transport department officials do not take notice of this."
"Additional fares are being charged on private buses from July 1. From Tiruppur to Coimbatore, the fare is now Rs 42. Similarly, fares for stops along the route, including Avinashi, Karumathampatti, Neelambur and Sitra have also increased. A large number of college students from Tiruppur are going to colleges in Coimbatore and this will cause difficulties for them,” said S Karan of Periyar Colony.
Justifying the fare hike, an office-bearer of the Private Bus Owners' Association in Tiruppur said, "Private bus fares have not been revised since 2018. Back then, diesel was Rs 63 per litre, while it Rs 100 now. Bus maintenance costs and toll charges have risen sharply. We charge 58 paise per km while TNSTC buses are charging about 80 paise per km under categories such as deluxe, superfast and non-stop. Private bus owners in several districts, including southern districts, have already raised fares. On the Coimbatore-Erode route, Rs 72 is being charged instead of 65. We raised the fares from July 1. Due to criticism, some buses have reverted to the old fares. The state government should increase the fares in line with the prevailing circumstances,” he demanded.
Tiruppur North RTO K Baskar said, "A consultative meeting is scheduled on July 7, to be presided over by the district collector, and an appropriate decision will be taken at this meeting."
Meanwhile, in Coimbatore, regional transport officers have warned private bus owners of strict action, including cancellation of their permit, if they are found collecting increased fares.
Over the past two days, some private mofussil buses operating from Erode and Tiruppur to Coimbatore had been collecting an additional fare of Rs 5 to Rs 10 from passengers, in violation of the prescribed fare structure. Following this, we conducted a meeting with private bus owners from Coimbatore and warned them that if they continue to collect excess fares from passengers, their permits will be cancelled and the buses may be seized. We have also directed them to charge only the fares fixed by the government," said a regional transport officer in Coimbatore.
Meanwhile, the CPM has urged the state government to take immediate action against the arbitrary fare hike by private bus operators, saying the increase has put an additional burden on passengers across the state.
In a statement, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam alleged that private bus operators in several districts, including Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur, The Nilgiris, Dindigul, Salem, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai and Nagapattinam, had increased fares for town and mofussil buses without prior notice, which would affect the poor, the middle and working class. Terming the hike as illegal, Shanmugam criticised the transport department and the district administrations for failing to act despite the unauthorised fare increase.
