Private bus owners in the state are gearing up to launch protests against the decision to replace all private Fast Passenger buses in the state with KSRTC buses.
The move to replace the Fast Passenger or other high class service by a private operator with that of KSRTC service is the result of a notification issued by Transport Dept based on a HC observation that ordinary services by private operators had decreased and high fares were being collected by converting ordinary services into Fast Passenger services. The notification says Fast Passenger services, Super Deluxe services, Super Express services, Super Fast services and Luxury services should be run and operated in the state exclusively by the state transport undertaking. It says the permits of Fast Passenger buses should not be renewed. The issue started with Fast Passenger services denying concession to students. The order states that if it was allowed to convert ordinary service permit to Fast Passenger or other high class service, the number of stops will be reduced, the fare will be higher and students entitled for concession will be deprived of the benefit.
“Earlier, it was directed that stage carriers, operating beyond 150 km cannot be considered as ordinary buses. So, the bus owners were forced to upgrade their services into Fast Passengers or Limited Stops,’’ Lawrence Babu, general sec of Kerala Private Bus Owners Assn said. “The decision affects as many as 850 buses operating in the state. The question is whether KSRTC is able to operate services at the place of these permits. Our only demand is that pvt bus operators who had been given permits should be allowed to continue their service,’’ he said.
The preliminary order in this regard said that only fleet owner, an operator with a minimum of 50 buses operating under his ownership, should be able to get permit to operate Fast Passengers or Deluxe services. When the issue first came up before HC in 1995, it made an observation that the definition of a ‘fleet owner’ is arbitrary. The new notification replaces the term ‘fleet owner’ with ‘KSRTC.’ “The preliminary notification was issued in Aug 2012. We had approached the HC and it was stayed. After an year, they have issued a renewed notification in last July. Again, we filed a petition seeking stay and the HC granted it. The renewal of the permits were allowed after the stay,’’ Lawrence Babu said.
Source: New Indian Express
