The Puducherry Pradesh Vikram Owners’ Welfare Association has decided to increase tempo fare with effect from Tuesday. The fares for tempos were last increased in 2011. The minimum fares for tempos have been increased from ₹5 to ₹7.
Manivannan, secretary of the association, said the decision came after the rise in the cost of insurance and vehicle spare parts. The annual insurance for tempos has been increased to ₹18,000 from ₹14,000. Similarly, the price of many spare parts has been increased.
“We cannot run our business with the same fare. Stickers on increase in tariff have been pasted on vehicles. A decision on hiking the daily rent for tempos would be taken in the next three days,” he said.
As many as 127 tempos ply on four routes in Puducherry.
However, trade unions claim that the fares had been arbitrarily hiked by the tempo owners without consulting the tempo drivers.
Daily rent
Madivanan, a spokesperson of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), claimed that tempo drivers charter the vehicle for a daily rent. The daily rent is ₹900 from Monday to Friday and ₹850 during the weekends.
The drivers need to pay the daily rent for the tempos and bear the maintenance cost of the vehicles. The tempo owners have also planned to increase the daily rent to ₹1,200, he said.
