No plans to reduce bus fares for now: Minister

There is no proposal before the government to reduce bus fares, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Reddy admitted that diesel prices had come down since the last bus fare hike, but the State transport corporations had not sent any proposal seeking a slash in the rates.

“Soon after the bus fares were increased, the transport corporations hiked the wages of their employees by 11 per cent. There might have been some savings in the purchase of fuel, but the expenses have not come down,” Reddy pointed out.

The minister said 42 per cent of the routes were incurring losses to the State transport corporations. Only long-distance routes are making a profit, he said.

Replying to a query, Reddy said as many as 2,871 buses would be purchased by the four State transport corporations during the fiscal 2015-16. A similar number of buses will be discontinued from service. As a norm, the State transport corporation buses, which have run 8.5 lakh km, will be taken off the roads, he said.

Odd-even rule
Reddy said the State was keenly studying the odd-even scheme introduced by the Delhi government. “We are studying the advantages and disadvantages of the scheme and whether it could be replicated in the State. A final decision in this regard has to be taken by the Home department,” he said.