No more Rs 1 tickets: Kerala private bus owners push for higher student fares, threaten strike

Private bus owners across Kerala have launched a protest demanding an increase in the students' ticket fare, which they argue has remained unchanged for the last 13 years. The bus owners are requesting that the minimum fare for students be raised to Rs. 5.

The All Kerala Bus Operators Association has planned a 'Bus Protection March' from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram, scheduled to take place from April 3 to 9. The march is intended to raise awareness about their demand and to urge the government to reconsider the current fare structure. 

If the protest does not yield any positive results, the association has warned of a strike, with bus owners vowing to halt services if the new fare is not implemented for the upcoming academic year. 

For the past 13 years, the minimum fare for students has been set at Rs. 1. However, with a major portion of private bus passengers being students, the owners argue that the current fare is no longer sustainable. 

Bus owners have also expressed frustration with the government's lack of action on recommendations made by various commissions that studied the challenges facing the private bus sector. Despite these recommendations, they claim that the government has not taken sufficient steps to address their concerns.