Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government is set to decide on the Justice Ramachandran Commission proposal to increase the bus fare in light of the severe financial crisis faced by its operators and crew during the lockdown being enforced to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Transport Minister A K Saseendran will convene a high-level meeting regarding this on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram.
In its report, the commission has recommended the government to increase the minimum fare from Rs 8 to 10 and charge Rs 2 for each 2.5km after the minimum distance.
If the government approves this proposal, the new fares for each stage after the minimum distance will be Rs 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and so on.
The report also includes another suggestion to up the minimum fare to Rs 12. The concession for students is likely to be lowered to 50%.
According to reports, the proposals are meant only for the lockdown period. Once the lockdown ends, the government is expected to roll back the hike.
Earlier, the government had allowed buses to charge double the fare from passengers as it initially considered limiting the number of passengers to 50% of the seating capacity. However, the order was withdrawn after the lockdown was eased.
Following this, private bus owners approached the High Court against the rollback. Though the HC single-bench allowed bus operators to collect increased fare, the division-bench stayed the order.
It is in this view, that the government sought report from the commission regarding the fares.
According to reports, the final decision will be made once Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan approves the transport department's recommendation.
Limit on passengers?
It is unclear whether the government will do away with social distancing guidelines issued for bus passengers and allow more passengers from next month as the Unlock 1 phase, following the end of the stringent phase of the lockdown, ends on June 30.
Majority of private buses in the state are yet to restart the services even as the government allowed inter-district services with strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.
