Bus operators’ statewide strike from Nov 3

Private bus operators across the state have announced an indefinite statewide strike from November 3, threatening widespread disruption to passenger services unless the government addresses their demands for financial relief and higher fares.

The All Kerala Bus Operators Association (AKBOA), representing six bus-owner organisations, announced the decision following a coordination committee meeting in Kochi. The operators allege that the government’s Priyadarshini free-travel scheme has severely reduced their earnings and that recommendations intended to address their difficulties remain unimplemented.

The proposed shutdown could affect thousands of daily services, particularly routes where private buses provide essential connections between towns and rural communities. The association represents approximately 7,500 of the state’s estimated 10,000 operating private buses, although participation in the proposed strike has not been confirmed across the entire sector.

The dispute intensified on Tuesday as the Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation began an indefinite hunger strike outside the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. The federation is pursuing similar demands but has not announced an immediate suspension of its members’ services.

AKBOA general secretary T Gopinathan said operators had suffered losses exceeding Rs 800 crore following the introduction of Priyadarshini, which allows women to travel free on ordinary services operated by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

The figure represents the association’s assessment and has not been independently established through publicly available audited accounts. Operators maintain that passengers have shifted towards government buses, leaving private services struggling to recover their operating expenses.

The Priyadarshini scheme was introduced on June 15, offering free travel to eligible women on KSRTC ordinary buses. Its implementation has increased the attractiveness of government-operated services while creating concerns among competing private operators about unequal treatment.

The association wants the government to extend free travel to women using private buses and reimburse operators for the corresponding ticket costs. Its representatives argue that such an arrangement would preserve passenger benefits without transferring the financial burden to privately operated services.

Operators are also demanding an increase in the minimum passenger fare from Rs 10 to Rs 15 and a revision of student concessions to 50 per cent of the regular ticket price.

Gopinathan said the Justice M Ramachandran Commission had recommended increasing the minimum student concession fare to Rs 5 in 2022, but the proposal had not been implemented.

The association additionally wants relief from fuel taxation and financial assistance towards insurance expenses, citing rising diesel prices, maintenance expenditure and other operational costs.

Another federation participating in the agitation has demanded a minimum fare of Rs 20, demonstrating differences between organisations over the scale of fare revisions required.

The operators have also questioned the government’s response to an expert committee appointed to examine the industry’s difficulties following the introduction of Priyadarshini.

The committee recommended measures including leasing private buses for the free-travel programme, recognising private bus operations as an industry and extending the permitted operational life of buses from 22 to 25 years.

Representatives of the joint action committee allege that the government has failed to initiate substantive discussions on the recommendations despite receiving the committee’s findings several weeks ago.

The operators contend that the recommendations, even if implemented, would not fully address their demands for fare compensation, diesel assistance and adjustments to student concessions.

The government has not announced an agreement resolving the threatened shutdown. The separate protest outside the Secretariat has increased pressure for negotiations before the November 3 deadline.

Federation representatives say they have already raised their grievances with the Chief Minister and other authorities without securing a satisfactory response.

Bus operators’ statewide strike from Nov 3