Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (NP)
Udupi, June 8: Commuters travelling on private stage carriage buses across Karnataka will have to pay revised fares from June 9 after the Federation of Stage Carriage Bus Operators' Associations of Karnataka state decided to increase ticket prices by 3% to 8%.
Addressing a press conference in Udupi, Federation president Kuyiladi Suresh Nayak said the fare revision had become necessary due to the sharp increase in diesel prices and rising operational costs.
He stated, “Diesel prices have increased by around Rs 11 per litre over the past year, including a Rs 3 hike by the state government and a cumulative increase of Rs 8.17 through four revisions by the Central government. Apart from fuel costs, expenses related to vehicle spare parts, tyre replacement and retreading, toll charges, employee wages, taxes and insurance premiums have also increased significantly.”
“Private bus operators are facing a difficult situation as operating expenses continue to rise. We are unable to meet our costs under the existing fare structure. The Karnataka government has provided a cess provision, and based on that provision, we are implementing this fare revision. We are not factoring in the increased costs of tyres, maintenance, or other operational expenses. This revision is being implemented primarily due to the rise in diesel prices. Government-operated buses can absorb losses through government support, but private operators do not have that advantage. Without a fare revision, some services would have to be discontinued,” he said.
On the issue of the state government's Shakti scheme, which provides free bus travel for women, he said private bus operators had earlier proposed extending the scheme to private buses as well.
“We had suggested that private buses could also provide free travel to women and that the government could reimburse the fares based on digital records. However, the proposal was not accepted. We are even willing to extend similar benefits to students if the government introduces a reimbursement mechanism,” he said.
The revised fares on some major routes in the coastal region are as follows:
- Udupi – Mangaluru: Rs 95 to Rs 100
- Udupi – Kundapur: Rs 60 to Rs 63
- Udupi – Manipal: Rs 12 to Rs 13
- Udupi – Karkala: Rs 58 to Rs 60
- Kundapur – Mangaluru: Rs 145 to Rs 153
Kuyiladi Suresh Nayak informed that the Federation represents around 5,300 private buses across the state. The revised fares will apply only to day-service stage carriage buses and not for night-service buses. Student concessions will remain unchanged under the new fare structure.