the goan I network
PANAJI
Public transport bus owners on Sunday voiced their demand for a hike in fares citing rise in input costs and alleged that although the State Transport Authority had approved their demand at its last meeting, the State government was hesitating to notify the same.
The Goa Private Bus Owners Association, one of the major collective of private bus owners operating in the public transport sector, made the claim in Panaji on Sunday after holding a general body meeting of the Association.
The Association’s president, Sudip Tamhankar, who addressed a press conference said, that the government had last altered the public transport fare structure in 2013.
“The last fare was fixed in 2013. From then, diesel prices have increased by over Rs 25 per litre. Insurance and maintenance costs have also doubled,” Tamhankar said, adding that the hike in fares is much needed to sustain the private component of the public transport sector.
Tamhankar informed that the Association’s written proposal for a fare hike was put before the STA which had approved it at their recent meeting.
However, there is no official notification issued by the government on the STA’s decision approving the hike and Tamhankar claimed that he apprehends the transport department is hesitating to notify it.
“As per information we received from RTO officials, transport department instead of notifying this fare hike, is trying to come out with a different rate,” Tamhankar said.
He also informed that their demand is that the government should hike the fare for the first slab of 1-4 km from Rs 8 to Rs 10. Presently, the rate is Rs 8 for the first three kilometers and 85 paise for every subsequent kilometer.
He also alleged that the transport department is acting biased towards the government-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC). “KTC is plying more buses on routes than the permits given to them. As per our information, KTC has permits for just 70 buses, but they are claiming that they have permits for 273 buses”, he alleged.
Tamhankar said, on the Mapusa-Panaji route there are only five permits issued to the KTC but they are running more than 30 buses.
