Consumer Protection Association wants RTO to cancel licences of TNSTC ‘Express’ buses overcharging passengers in the Nilgiris

Coonoor Consumer Protection Association urges RTO to cancel TNSTC bus licenses for overcharging passengers on 'Express' services.

The Coonoor Consumer Protection Association has called on the Regional Transport Officer to cancel the licences of TNSTC buses that are overcharging passengers on the pretext of operating ‘Express’ bus services.

In a statement, S. Manogaran, president of the Association, said the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) in the Nilgiris was operating ‘Express’ bus services at a higher cost to passengers. “As per a response by the Regional Transport Officer, it has come to light that the TNSTC has permission to run all 349 vehicles only as ‘ordinary’ buses, but they are charging excess fares and operating ‘Express’ services.

For Express buses to be permitted to operate, there must be a minimum of 25 km between two bus stops and the cumulative distance of the bus route must exceed 80 km, he said.

The Association, which approached the Madras High Court with a Public Interest Litigation about the issue, recently got an order passed in their favour. Mr. Manogaran said one of their contentions before the court was that the compounding fee charged as a punishment to the TNSTC was inadequate. “It is the government that is operating the express services illegally, profiting from overcharging people and is also collecting fines for itself, so there is no deterrence,” he said.

The court had also observed that “mere levying of compounding fees would not be the only solution” to the issue of charging excess fares stating that the enforcement of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 provided for suspension and/or cancellation of permits issued to the transport operators.

Mr. Manogaran said the ‘minimum fare’ in ‘Express’ buses was ₹11 in the Nilgiris and alleged that the TNSTC was arbitrarily extending bus services along routes to exceed the 80 km threshold required to operate the ‘Express’ buses. “Even if a person travels one km in such buses, they have to pay the minimum fare of ₹11, and as the Nilgiris’ residents are dependent on the TNSTC due to no private bus operators in the Nilgiris, it is even more imperative that the RTO take action against the buses,” said Mr. Manogaran.