Private bus operators in Kerala are set to meet Chief Minister V.D. Satheeshan and brief him on the severity of the crisis faced by the sector in the wake of the recent spike in fuel prices and the introduction of the free bus travel scheme for women and transgender persons in the State.

According to T. Gopinathan of the All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation, since the last fare revision in 2022, the price of diesel alone has increased by around ₹10 per litre. For a bus that consumes 80 litres of diesel daily, this has resulted in an additional expense of about ₹800 per day.

Apart from this, there has been a decline in passenger numbers due to the implementation of the Priyadarshini free bus travel scheme for women and transgender persons in the State. As a result, each bus is incurring losses ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹4,000 per day. If this situation persists, private buses will not be able to operate even for a single day, said Mr. Gopinathan, who is also a bus owner.

Against this backdrop, the association has decided to meet the Chief Minister and the Transport Minister to explain the difficulties faced by bus operators. Future courses of action will be decided thereafter, he said. Although the State government announced its decision to slash the tax on All India Permit vehicles by 50% in the Revised Budget for 2026–27, this provides relief of only ₹130 to ₹150 in the daily income of bus owners.

According to Hamsa Erikkunnan, general secretary of the Kerala Bus Operators Federation, if the road tax paid every three months is reduced by 50%, bus owners will receive a maximum daily benefit of ₹130 to ₹150 per day. Although this will provide slight relief to a few buses on routes where KSRTC buses have minimal presence, on routes operated by KSRTC, the daily income of private buses has decreased by ₹2,000 to ₹6,000 after women shifted to KSRTC buses to avail themselves of the free-travel scheme.

As a result, private buses are operating on these routes without adequate daily income to meet fuel expenses or pay workers’ wages, Mr. Erikkunnan added. In this situation, the State government should be ready to implement zero-ticket travel for women passengers on private buses as well and compensate private bus owners with an amount equivalent to the fare reimbursement paid to KSRTC. Otherwise, private buses operating on routes where KSRTC has a monopoly will be forced to discontinue their services after June 30, said Mr. Erikkunnan.