Thiruvananthapuram: Private buses in Kerala will not run indefinitely starting today (March 24), as operators have opted to strike in order to demand a fare rise in response to rising fuel prices.
According to Sathyan, the president of the Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation, said that a notice about the impending strike was provided to the government over two weeks ago and no one has engaged in negotiations on the subject since then. He reacted angrily to State Transport Minister Antony Raju's statement that he hoped bus operators would not go on strike because of the students' examinations and classes, saying such a statement should not have been uttered.
He said that the Transport Minister and the State government were told of the bus owners' requests in November of last year, but that no action had been taken since then. He went on to say that the state government must ensure that students are not inconvenienced, and that the onus was not on the bus companies. The owners have asked for a fare increase for the general public as well as a reduction in the concessionary fare for students.
In addition, the operators have requested a hike in the kilometre rate from 90 paise to Rs 1.10 per km, as well as a road tax exemption during the COVID-19 epidemic period.