Kerala: No Private Bus Strike From Today, Operators Postpone Protest After Meeting Minister

An indefinite strike was called by private bus operators from Tuesday to demand an increase in the minimum fares and subsidy on diesel

Private buses stationed at a depot (Image for representation)

Kozhikode: The indefinite strike called by private bus operators from Tuesday has been postponed. The decision was announced after discussions were held between Transport Minister Antonu Raju and the Private Bus Owners’ Coordination Committee, local media reported. 

The minister said the demands raised by the bus operators would be taken into consideration, and all efforts would be made to find a resolution within 10 days, i.e. by November 18, the reports said.

More discussions are planned in the coming days.

The bus operators, still reeling from the drastic fall in patronage due to successive Covid lockdowns and effects of the steep hike in fuel prices, had demanded a hike in the bus fares for all, including students, and a subsidy for diesel.

Their demand is that the minimum bus fare of Rs 8 must be hiked to Rs 12, after which they should be allowed to charge Re 1 per kilometre. They also demanded that the bus fares for students be increased to Rs 6.

The operators also want a waiver of the road tax during the pandemic.

They said they have given the government a week’s time to consider their demands, Mathrubhumi reported.

Their meeting with Antony in Kottayam Monday night lasted two hours, the report said.  

Earlier, a 48-hour strike called by trade unions of the Kerala State Road Transport Bus Corporation (KSRTC) last week had brought the services almost to a complete halt. 

The protesters demanded a hike in their wages, which have not been revised for the last nine years. The corporation has 35,000 employees.

They also claimed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier assured them of an increase in the wages from June.