Private schools to hike bus fare by 25%

Coimbatore: Parents may have to loosen their purse strings as private schools are planning to increase transportation charges collected from students, keeping in mind the rising fuel prices. Schools say they may increase the charges at least by 25%. While a few schools have reopened on Monday, many are planning to reopen from next week after Diwali holidays.
Many schools were ready with their vehicles and made arrangements for drivers to operate the buses, but they find it difficult to run by collecting charges that existed before the pandemic.
Samson Selladurai, principal of Nava Bharath International School, said about 75% of students in the school use the 11 school buses to reach school. “We charge about Rs 1,600 a month from a student as bus fees. But we cannot run the buses by collecting that charge with present fuel prices. So, a hike of 25% is expected,” he said.
An administrator of Sai Vidya Niketan Matriculation School, Mathampalayam, said the school was encouraging the parents to pick up and drop their children and avoid school bus transportation.
“In the last 18 months fuel prices were increased by 25%, so we have no option but to increase the transportation charges by 25%. We presently charge Rs 10,000 per year from a student and it may go up to Rs 12,500,” the administrator said, adding that the government must relax charges collected at the RTO offices and give concessions on the insurance charges for school vehicles that ranges from Rs 40,000 – Rs 60,000.
Another principal said one of their buses has to run an extra 6km to pick up a student. “We cannot charge only that one student. We can compensate that as in some places we pick up 10-20 students. However, if the petrol prices cross Rs 110, we may have to increase the transportation charges by 30%,” the principal said.
Last month, a total 1,226 school buses from across 230 private schools in the district were inspected by regional transport officers and officials from the district administration.
Schools are in the process of deciding new drop points and pickup points for their buses and hiring support staffs to accompany children in the bus.
Schools, which had asked drivers to get themselves employed elsewhere during the pandemic, are also expecting drivers to return to their old jobs.