Bus fares not to be rolled back

Fares revised in June were annulled by the Karnataka High Court on the ground that the RTA did not follow a government notification on fare fixation.

Private bus operators in the district as well as the regional transport authority (RTA) are in no mood to roll back the bus fare despite a reduction in the price of diesel – by about Rs. 3.60.

Fares of private buses were increased in July this year following demand by private bus operators. Fares revised in June were annulled by the Karnataka High Court on the ground that the RTA did not follow a government notification on fare fixation. Thus, the RTA had to again revise the fares in July.

Sharp rise

D.K. Bus Operators’ Association General Secretary V.K. Putran told The Hindu that the operators were not in a position to roll back the fares.

First of all, the fares given by the RTA were not in tune with the demand of bus operators and they were continuing with the services with great difficulty, he said.

Secondly, the cost of other inputs and spare parts too have seen a sharp rise, which would not come to the notice of general public unlike diesel price, he said. The operating margin had drastically come down with more than 70 per cent of the earnings going towards routine operation and staff cost, he said.

Dakshina Kannada RTA Chairman and Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim told The Hindu that fares could not be altered frequently.

The last revision was done when diesel prices were around Rs. 51-55 and fresh revision was done when prices touched around Rs. 61 a litre, he said. The RTA would closely monitor the diesel price for a few months and take a suitable decision later, he said.

Mr. Ibrahim further said diesel price was set to fluctuate as it had been deregulated from government control. Market forces would determine the price and it would be too early to jump to any conclusion, he said.

RTA Member Secretary and Regional Transport Officer, Mangalore, Afzal Ahmed Khan, also said the reduction in diesel price was about Rs. 2 compared to the prevailing diesel price at the time of fare revision. Such a reduction would not have much impact on the operating ratio, he said.

Several organisations, including Students’ Federation of India, had demanded immediate rollback of fares following reduction in the price of diesel.