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Private bus fare hike: No consensus reached

Private bus fare hike: No consensus reached


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 16: The public and a number of unions have fiercely opposed the proposed bus fare hike at a meeting held at the DC’s office today.

While office bearers of bus owners’ associations said that hiking bus fare is the need of the hour, DC Dr. Channappa Gowda said that all aspects will be first considered before coming to a decision regarding this matter. The DC chaired this meeting along with RTO Mallikarjun and SP Labhu Ram.


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There was a heated argument between members of bus owners’ associations and members of various unions and the public. The officials, in the meanwhile, urged both parties to calm down.

Noting that bus fares were hiked just 4 months back, a citizen said that bus fares are never reduced when diesel and petrol prices go down. The citizen also blamed the Regional Transport Authority and accused it of being in favour of bus owners and not the general public.

Another citizen pointed out that, since the city now has good concrete roads, buses won’t need to change parts every now and then and added that bus owner’s associations cannot give the excuse of hike in spare part prices to hike bus fares.

Another citizen complained that, although the city’s population has shot up, buses have not increased in number because of which buses are always crowded and passengers are not very comfortable travelling in buses.

The members of the public also criticized the MPs, MLAs, and other people’s representatives who were not at the meeting, stating that these leaders were hardly bothered about public issues.

Nagarika Hitharakshana Vedike President Hanumanth Kamath flayed the private bus service in Mangalore, accusing the buses of considering stages only when bus fares are hiked. If a passenger boards a bus in Hampankatta to any other place, he/she has to pay the full bus fare, he complained and added that private bus owners ought to give way to KSRTC bus service if they cannot give proper services in the city.

He also criticized the habit of bus drivers and conductors forcing passengers to get down halfway through their journey and take another bus to their destination. These conductors and drivers are hardly questioned and nobody bothers to register cases against them, he added. He also said that children and women are the ones who have to suffer the most because of this habit.

A citizen called Konaje B. S. Hasanabba Ammembala said that the practice of making bus drivers and conductors pay fines within city limits should be stopped because it causes traffic jams. He said that they should be made to pay fines only after the bus reaches its destination.

Organizations such as DYFI, CITU, and SFI also opposed hike in bus fares.

When the members of the bus owners’ associations finally got a chance to speak, Aziz Parthypady, the general secretary of the DK Bus Operators Association, said that cost of fuel and bus maintenance has risen. Since the private bus service is a large, intricate system that has been in existence for the past 75 years, mistakes can happen, he said, adding that all problems will be eventually solved. He also pointed out that the tax exemptions given to KSRTC are not available to private bus owners.

Stating that the views of both parties and government guidelines will be taken into consideration while taking a decision, the DC said that the price hike will be done in such a way that it causes minimum burden to passengers. He also said that another meeting will be held to further discuss the issue.


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