Kerala - Kochi   

‘Bus passengers to pay Rs.1,825 crore more’

KOCHI: The Centre for Consumer Education has estimated that the ordinary people who rely on the Kerala State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private buses for travel will be collectively spending about Rs. 1,825 crore more following the recent bus fare hike.

Dijo Kappan, managing trustee of the centre, said that each of the 4,555 KSRTC buses and around 32,200 private buses would be gaining a minimum average additional income of Rs. 1,350 a day. This was several times more than the additional cost they would be incurring after the recent fuel price hike.

Mr. Kappan pointed out that the bus passengers in Kerala were already paying 48 paise per km of bus ride. This was 28 paise in Tamil Nadu and 38 paise in Andhra Pradesh. The minimum fare in Tamil Nadu was Rs. 2, for which a passenger could travel 4 km. After the current hike, a passenger in Kerala would have to pay Rs. 5 for the same distance.

He noted that each bus, on an average day, carried 800 to 900 passengers. Of them, 300 would be minimum-fare passengers. The average additional cost of Rs. 212 per bus a day caused by the diesel fare hike could be more than offset by the minimum fare hike alone

Mr. Kappan noted that while the bus owners had asked for a 10 per cent hike, the Transport Minister had agreed for a 33.3 per cent hike in the minimum fare. He also recalled that the Rabindran Nair Commission and the Sheela Thomas Commission had wanted a minimum fare passenger to be allowed to travel a distance equal to the minimum fare divided by the rate per km. The Rabindran Nair Commission had said in its report, “It seems appropriate to lay down that the minimum charge for ordinary service should not exceed the rate that would be applicable to five kilometres of distance.” The new fare has violated these suggestions, Mr. Kappan said.

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