The general public travelling by private buses in undivided Dakshina Kannada have to shell out more as the operators, service as well as city, have decided to levy surcharge to cope with the increasing cost of operations.
While fares on service buses have gone up by a maximum of ₹ 3 since a week, city bus fares in Mangaluru would go up by Re. 1 for every stage by Thursday.
Both categories of operators have rued the respective Regional Transport Authority’s apathy in addressing their demand for fare hike, leaving them with no option but to resort to levy surcharge which is permissible.
Canara Bus Owners Association president K. Rajavarma Ballal told The Hindu that after the 2016 fare hike provided by RTAs of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, there has been steep hike in the cost of all inputs, including diesel from ₹ 56 a litre to ₹ 66.29; motor vehicle tax from ₹ 600 per seat per quarter to ₹ 999; insurance from ₹ 45,000 to ₹ 90,000 a year and many more.
Operators too have to survive if they have to provide service to people and hence, surcharge was levied, which is very marginal, he said.
Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators Association’s erstwhile general secretary V.K. Puthran said that city buses in Mangaluru would implement the surcharge, which would result in Re. 1 hike for every stage, from Thursday, as electronic ticket vending machines have to be reconfigured. He too cited increasing costs of operation as the reason.
Meanwhile, the State Transport Authority has sent its recommendation for fare revision for stage carriages to the government and is awaiting approval, said STA secretary L. Hemanth Kumar.
Operators cannot increase fares without prior approval of the STA/ RTA, he added.
