KOCHI: With the state government deciding to hike the bus fare based on Justice Ramachandran Commission Report, many factors considered by the committee for arriving at such a decision have been proven wrong. According to the information divulged under the Right to Information (RTI) Act most of the reasons cited by the committee for hiking the fares are false. The committee found that the number of private buses had been dwindling as the operators were forced to stop the services as they later found it unprofitable. But, information gathered under the RTI Act shows that the number of private buses has risen by 2,800 during 2005-2011. “The information provided by the government under the RTI Act proves that the number of buses is on the rise. But the commission, appointed by the government, says that the number of buses has decreased,” said Dijo Kappan Managing Trustee, Centre For Consumer Affairs.In fact, the hike in bus fare has resulted in loss of revenue for bus operators. Every time the state government hikes the bus fare, each bus loses around 30 passengers on an average. “During the last decade, the average number of passengers of each bus on a daily basis has come down to 800 from 1,000,” Dijo said.The government revises the fare each time succumbing to the pressure of the private bus owners and KSRTC. In cities like Kochi the number of people using bus service is high. “Though the bus owners get additional income initially, they are unable to sustain the gain as many of the passengers opt out. Those who commute from Kottayam to Ernakulam on buses may switch over to trains. While a passenger from Kottayam will have to spend `40 for a bus trip to Kochi, he can reach the destination by spending just `10 by train. If they resort to season tickets, the expense will be much cheaper,” Kappan said.Many of the experts say that the government should consider reduction of taxes rather than going for hike in fare. Each stage carriers will have to remit around ` 1,20,000 as road tax a year.
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