Fuel rates up, private bus operators in Punjab curtail routes

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11

The rising prices of diesel and falling numbers of passengers have spelt doom for private bus operators in the state, hitherto considered the “privileged” ones who had “monopolised” the transportation sector. As a result, they have been forced to cut down their operations.

Prices of diesel have gone up by Rs 30 per litre in the past one year. However, the transporters have not been allowed to increase the bus fares in consonance with the rising prices by the state government.

The last nail in their coffin seems to be the big announcement made in the Budget 2021, which made travel in government-owned buses free for women.

In the past one year, almost all private bus operators in the state have been forced to withdraw from many rural routes, thus impacting connectivity to villages. They have also been forced to cut down on the number of trips they were making on the more profitable bus routes, as people now prefer PRTC and Punjab Roadways buses where travelling for women is free.

“In the times of the Covid pandemic, when travel restrictions are imposed every now and then, these sops have completely ruined the transport sector,” Rajinder Singh Bajwa, secretary of the Punjab Motor Union, said.

Khattra Travels, which has a fleet of 100 buses, is now operating on just 50 per cent of the routes for which it has the licence. Harman Khattra, managing director of a private bus service, said, “At a time when people prefer putting off travel, we expected the government to do some handholding. But neither is the government revising the bus fares nor it is willing to cut down the motor vehicle tax of Rs 2.69 per km. We are supposed to pay the tax for each bus which has the licence to operate, even if it is not plying.”

Other bus operators said they had to pay ‘adda’ fee and toll tax, while the public buses were exempted from these charges.

Not allowed to hike fares

• Prices of diesel have gone up by Rs 30 per litre in the past one year. However, transporters have not been allowed to increase the fares
• The big announcement in the Budget 2021 which made travel in government-owned buses free for women has also hit them hard

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