The Cabinet is set to take a call on the Transport Department’s proposal to increase the bus fare to offset the loss suffered by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and private buses in view of the social distancing norms to be enforced on public transport buses.
The department is of the view that a temporary fare hike is inevitable mainly on four counts. The restrictions in the number of passengers, curbs on standing, and less patronage. Besides, only intradistrict services will be operating.
The decision of States such as Odisha to hike bus fares, demand from the KSRTC, and pressure by private bus operators by submitting a nine-point charter of demands have forced the Transport Department to act.
The KSRTC has pointed out that it will be incurring a loss of ₹11.65 per km by enforcing social distancing norms and has demanded the fare revision to offset the loss by fixing ₹60.35 for a km.
The KSRTC has burnt its fingers by operating special bus services for Secretariat staff in the capital district.
To wipe out operational loss, the department has recommended doubling the fare in ordinary services that are depended heavily for commuting in mofussil and rural areas.
The proposal is to increase the existing minimum fare for 5 km from ₹8 to ₹16, and from ₹10 to ₹20, ₹12 to ₹24, ₹13 to ₹26, ₹15 to ₹30, and ₹17 to ₹34 in the subsequent fare stages.
The department did not toe the line of the KSRTC in working out the fares and submitting the proposal to Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran on Friday. The proposed hike will be temporary till the public transport mode is back to normality in the State, official sources said.
The department has played it safe by avoiding student tickets from the hike.
