Travel in state to get costlier asgovt announces hike in bus fares

Patna: Travelling in state is set to become costlier from June 1 with the transport department announcing a 10%-15% increase in fares for around 1,500 state-run buses. Following the govt decision, the Bihar Motor Transport Federation has also announced a fare hike of up to 15% for nearly 40,000 private buses from June 10.Auto, e-rickshaw and cab unions are also considering fare increases of 20%-25%, depending on distance and route. With fare revisions likely across multiple modes of transport, daily commuters may face a higher travel bill in the coming weeks.Under the revised rates, fares for ordinary buses will increase from Rs 1.50 to up to Rs 1.73 per km per passenger. AC deluxe and regular AC buses will charge between Rs 2.30 and Rs 2.50 per km, while premium Volvo and Mercedes services have been fixed at Rs 2.88 per km.The fare hike will vary according to distance with a 15% increase for journeys up to 50km, 14% up to 100km, 13% up to 150km, 12% up to 200km, 11% up to 250km and 10% for distances above 300km.The department has directed all district transport officers to ensure revised fare charts are displayed at bus stands, ticket counters and inside buses. Operators have also been instructed to maintain complaint registers and display helpline numbers. A special drive against overloading will be launched.Officials clarified that the notification currently applies only to buses. No revision has yet been approved for tempos, autos or e-rickshaws, and existing rates will continue until district authorities grant approval.Rajkumar Jha, general secretary of the All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation, said, “A delegation of members of all unions has decided to meet transport secretary on June 1 and request him to announce a hike in rates of private buses, trucks, autos, cabs and e-rickshaws. The transport department has increased the fares of govt buses, but not yet fixed for private buses. If they will not increase the fares, then we will be forced to raise them from June 10.”Uday Shankar Prasad Singh, president of the Bihar Motor Transport Federation, said district committees would review local fares and implement a 15% increase in line with the govt decision.“We will also request the transport commissioner to waive off the fines levied on the private buses due to fitness and permit lapses. We will also request him to waive the traffic fine imposed on those buses,” he said.