KSRTC seeks curbs on student concessions

The ailing Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has asked the government to restrict bus concession to students of government and aided schools and colleges and limit the 16,000-odd private stage carriers to ordinary services and their daily operation to 140 km.

The free ride being offered to students up to the Plus Two level since February 2015 and fare concession to other students have led to poor patronage and reduction of 1.5 lakh commuters daily, chairman and managing director of the KSRTC M.G. Rajamanickam said in a letter to the Transport Secretary.

Demanding government intervention in view of the financial crisis faced by the utility, he pointed out that the students who depended on private stage carriers and school buses had shifted to the KSRTC distancing commuters from the fleet.

The utility is suffering a loss of Rs.105 crore annually, Rs. 63 crore for free ride and Rs. 42 crore for concession, and the government or the department concerned is not reimbursing the money. The KSRTC is committed to providing concession in fares to the deprived class as part of its social commitment.

The government should either restrict the concession to students of government and aided schools and colleges or provide it on the basis of income.

At present, the concession is 17.32 per cent of the fare although the utility can charge 25 per cent of the fare from students as per a government notification.

He urged the government take a call on these demands or to provide free ride in private stage carriers operating in the State.

The government was also asked to restrict the operation of private stage carriers to 140 km daily and take steps to ensure that they operated only as ordinary services.

He pointed out that the KSRTC had taken over 241 super class services as per a court directive and was operating 228 of them as take over services.

The private stage carriers were operating limited stop ordinary services on these routes violating the Kerala Motor Vehicle rules and causing revenue loss to the KSRTC.