Curbs on private buses will affect KSRTC too

New notification by Kerala govt. prevents private buses from plying beyond 140 km; cash-strapped RTC will not be able to fill the void

With the government issuing a notification preventing private buses from plying in routes beyond 140 km of their area of operation, fear is rife that this will further stifle Kerala’s public transport sector that is struggling to stay afloat. It will also affect the operators and crew of around 5,000 private buses that offer long-distance services. The public too will end up paying more to travel on KSRTC’s super class services which are expected to take over such routes. “Bus operators have submitted around 400 objections to the notification, as the deadline for public hearing expired on Thursday,” said T. Gopinathan, general secretary of All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation. The notification will force private buses that operate long-distance services to ply on routes within the 140-km limit. “This will throw into disarray the time table of private and KSRTC services. The notification goes against the earlier policy to permit private bus operators to continue existing services,” he added.