MANGALORE: The Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators Association has welcomed the increase in fares for the city circuit from Rs. 3 to Rs. 3.50 for the first stage. A meeting of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) held on Wednesday cleared the revised fares.

Welcoming the rates for the city services, the general secretary of the Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators Association, Bhaskar Salian, said the revised fares for city services are just enough for owners to operate services.

The effective increase in fares as per the RTA's notification works out to 17 to 18 per cent for the first stage, while in the subsequent stages, it does not work out to be economical.

The operators can recover most of the operational cost in the first stage, he said.

The city fares are now more or less on par with that of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation fares in the district, he said.

But the operators do not appear to be happy over the revision in fares for express and service category and the Canara Bus Owners' Association plans move the court against the RTA's revised order.

The President of the association, Rajavarma Ballal, told The Hindu that considering the increase in the price of diesel prices and other overheads, the increase given by RTA does not balance even for the first stage. The Association wanted the fare to be hiked in subsequent stages, which has not happened to the expected level.

Mr. Ballal said that an increase in fares was proposed up to all the 25 stages that the bus operators in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada ply.

The revised fare is beneficial only up to 17 stages, eh said. The rest of the stages are untouched and the increase in fare for the last stage is Rs. 6 against a fare of Rs. 46, which now stands at Rs. 52.

Mr. Ballal and Mr. Salian were of the opinion that the new fares are not beneficial to the Udupi sector as the existing fares have been retained by the RTA of Udupi.

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