PRTC hikes bus fare by 6 paise per km

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 30

In the wake of huge losses due to the lockdown, the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) has hiked bus fares by 6 paise per km, which will increase its daily revenue by 15 per cent. The hike will come into effect from July 1.

Now, the per km fare of an ordinary bus, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) bus, integral coach and super integral coach will be 122 paise, 146.20 paise, 219.60 paise and 244 paise, respectively.

The corporation was already finding it difficult to operate amid low occupancy and limited service. Besides there has been continuous hike in fuel prices over the past few weeks.

Jaskiran Singh, Managing Director, PRTC, said of 1,125 buses, they were just plying 325. The corporation’s daily income had dropped to Rs 15 lakh from over 1 crore prior to the lockdown. He said, “The hike will only help cover the losses to a certain extent.”