Student fare hike at center of looming Kerala private bus strike

Thiruvananthapuram: Private bus operators are gearing up for another strike, citing the government’s failure to meet their key demands, including a hike in student ticket fares.

Although discussions were held between student organisations, bus owners, and the Transport Secretary, no resolution was reached. As a result, preparations for the strike are underway, with the date expected to be announced within the next two days.

The key demands were the timely renewal of permits, revision of student concession fares, withdrawal of mandatory police clearance certificates for staff, elimination of excessive penalties issued via e-challans, and opposition to the compulsory installation of high-cost electronic monitoring devices.