Kozhikode: Nearly 500 private buses might go off the roads in Kozhikode district alone, as bus owners across the state are feeling the pinch of skyrocketing fuel prices. The bus owners are planning to file requests to the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) for a temporary stoppage of services. They have reportedly taken a collective decision to freeze their permits temporarily.
A bus needs an average 80 litres of diesel every day. Daily expenses including wages of staff and rent at the bus stand will be around Rs 9,500. The insurance costs Rs 80,000 per year. The owners have to pay Rs 29,990 as Tax every three months and Rs 3,150 has to be paid to the welfare fund. The bus owners here claimed the daily collection does not match the expenditure.
The transport minister had promised to extend the date for tax payment in a bid to support the bus owners in the crisis, but a final decision is still pending. The bus owners feel their decision to stop the services will not only aggravate hardships of passengers but also drain the government of taxes.
