Private bus operators jack up fares

PUDUCHERRY: A hike in the price of diesel has resulted in the common man feeling the pinch again. For, who else but the latter can shoulder this burden. And keeping in line with this logic, private bus operators in the Union Territory have taken it upon themselves to enhance the bus fare. Government buses, however, continue to charge the same.Private operators have increased the fare by a rupee for all categories of vehicles. A  minimum fare of Rs 4 is being charged for buses operating within the town. The fare to Villupuram and  Tindivanam has gone up from Rs 12 to Rs 13, while in the case of Cuddalore it has gone up from Rs 7 to Rs 8, said a member of the Puducherry Private Bus Operators’ Association.Though the fare for government buses still remains unchanged, the hike by private bus operators will affect the general public as 90 per cent of the town and intercity buses are operated by private bus owners. There are 172 intercity buses, 282 interstate and 75 town buses in all.However, the move to hike the fare is only being dictated by good business sense, given that their competitors (private bus operators in Tamil Nadu who also ply on the same routes) have hiked rates in the last two days.In Puducherry, the bus fare was last revised in 2008 and since then, the rates of tires as well as diesel have gone up. The cost of a single tyre and tube now costs Rs 30,000, while diesel has shot up to Rs 42.67 per litre. On an average, town buses consume around 70 litres of diesel per day, while intercity and interstate buses guzzle 120 litres to 150 litres per day, say private bus operators.Whatever might be the justification, the hike is unauthorised as the latter need to adhere to the fare fixed by the government. Also, commuters in Tamil Nadu might not care about the higher bus fare as government buses are more in number when compared to private buses. As per rough estimates, private buses are only 4,500 as compared to 18,000 government buses. It is now for the government to take a decision with regard to the arbitrary hike in bus fare.