Private buses to go on strike from Nov. 22

They demand hike in fare and student concession

Private buses in the State will go on an indefinite strike from November 22 demanding an increase in fares and a revision of student concession.

Bus operators belonging to different organisations decided to withdraw services on the day at a meeting held here on Saturday under the banner of the Kerala State Bus Operators Coordination Committee.

Announcing the agitation, All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation general secretary T. Gopinathan said an increase in the cost of diesel and spare parts in the last 18 months had rendered it difficult for bus operators to conduct the services.

“We cannot conduct services viably without immediately increasing the fares, especially the student fares,” said Mr. Gopinathan.

The main demand of the bus operators include raising of the minimum charge to ₹10, fixing a rate of 80 paisa for a km, fixing the minimum charge travel distance at 2.5 km, raising the minimum charge for students of government and aided institutions to ₹5, and revising the student concession as 50%.

The operators demanded that the concession being given to students of private institutions be revoked. The student concession should be made the same in both KSRTC and private buses, they said.

Mr. Gopinathan said the government had failed to fulfill its assurance given to the operators in November 2018. “We have no other way but to go in for an agitation now,” he said.

P.K. Sasi, MLA, inaugurated the convention.