Frequent strikes by private buses in the State will further alienate commuters from public transport, since their number has fallen from 26,000 in 2011 to approximately 17,000 in 2018, said officials of the Thiruvananthapuram-based NATPAC which conducts micro-level study on the operational expenses of public transport buses.
Apart from strikes, rash driving and rude behaviour by bus crew, the disproportionate high fare as compared to that in neighbouring States is another reason for public transport running out of favour with commuters. This has led to a fall in demand in several routes, the officials added.
While admitting that granting of heavy concession to students makes a dent in the income of bus owners, officials said that the fall in income during morning and evening trips was well compensated in other trips when most buses operate with more than the number of passengers permitted under the Kerala Motor Vehicle Rules.
“According to rules, only a maximum of 10 people can stand and travel in a bus, based on which the insurance premium is levied. This safety norm is most often flouted during many trips, with buses packed to capacity and carrying people even on front and rear foot-boards. Though the police and the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) can initiate action against bus crew, it is seldom done to prevent inconvenience to commuters and bus crew / owners,” they added.
Anti-commuter
Public-transportation expert and managing trustee of Centre for Consumer Education, Dijo Kappen termed as “anti-commuter” the recent strike called by bus owners within days of the government hiking the minimum fare from ₹6 to ₹8. “The strike, which caused much inconvenience to commuters, had no rationale. It must be remembered that the minimum bus fare in Tamil Nadu is just ₹4, even after it was hiked in January from ₹3. The fare there was hiked only three times since 2001, while it was hiked nine times in Kerala during the period,” Mr. Kappen said.
Maintaining that most bus operators make sound profit in Kerala, he said that each bus was unduly getting approximately ₹400 extra per day since the government has not rectified anomalies in fixing fare-stage.
A former MVD official said that most bus operators were against working under an umbrella organisation, like a society or company. “Coming together will considerably lessen operational costs like expenses on fuel, spare parts, tyres, lubricants, and even insurance premium, since they can jointly bargain with companies. This is being seen in Kochi where over 1,000 private buses which arrayed under seven companies early this year are reporting considerable savings each day,” he added.
The profit margin of each bus has been rising. Many buses are recording savings of up to ₹4,000 a month on fuel expenses alone, he said. Quoting a 1997 Kerala High Court directive, West Kochi Passengers’ Association secretary Padmanabha Mallya said even an hour-long bus strike must not be permitted. The high bus fare fixed in Kerala is aimed at compensating for operators’ grievance that students are given concessional fare, he said.
