With the government issuing a notification preventing private buses from plying in routes beyond 140 km of their area of operation, fear is rife that this will further stifle Kerala’s public transport sector that is struggling to stay afloat. It will also affect the operators and crew of around 5,000 private buses that offer long-distance services. The public too will end up paying more to travel on KSRTC’s super class services which are expected to take over such routes.
“Bus operators have submitted around 400 objections to the notification, as the deadline for public hearing expired on Thursday,” said T. Gopinathan, general secretary of All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation.
The notification will force private buses that operate long-distance services to ply on routes within the 140-km limit. “This will throw into disarray the time table of private and KSRTC services. The notification goes against the earlier policy to permit private bus operators to continue existing services,” he added.
Reduced fleet
The decision will further deplete the fleet of private buses, which has fallen from 35,000 two decades ago to just around 12,000, in the State. The debt-ridden KSRTC is in no position to fill the void, with the result that too many private vehicles will ply on roads, said M.B. Satyan, president, Kerala Private Bus Operators Federation.
“All sections of passengers will be affected if the government implements this decision. Students will be the worst hit, since super-class buses of the KSRTC will charge much more than private buses that offer limited stop services,” Mr. Satyan said.
Former Senior Deputy Transport Commissioner B.J. Antony said the move intended to create a monopoly for the KSRTC on long-distance routes, under the garb of route nationalisation. “This is among the many blunders successive governments have been making in the past 15 years. The KSRTC is in no position to operate new services since old buses cannot be run as super fast and fast passenger services. Moreover, withdrawal of private buses from various routes will affect the KSRTC since they operated as a feeder system for the public sector service.”
