Stories
Keralam Government Committed to Protecting Private Bus Sector Says Minister John
- •Transport Minister C P John stated that the Keralam government is committed to protecting the private bus sector and plans to lease private buses for KSRTC operations.
- •The minister clarified that the sector's crisis began during the Covid-19 pandemic and was not solely caused by the Priyadarshini free travel scheme for women.
- •Private bus numbers dropped from 19,000 to 13,000 since the pandemic, prompting the current government to reduce tax burdens by 50 percent.
- •The Padmakumar Commission has submitted a report with recommendations to resolve issues faced by private operators across all districts.
- •KSRTC is prepared to operate private buses on a wet-lease basis with a fixed rate per kilometre, ensuring reliable payments for operators.
Key Questions Answered
Transport Minister C P John stated that the government is committed to protecting the private bus sector and reduced its tax burden by 50 per cent. Additionally, the KSRTC is ready to take private buses on a wet-lease basis and operate them by paying a fixed rate per kilometre.
A government-appointed committee headed by former DGP K Padmakumar studied the issues facing private bus operators by visiting all districts and submitted a report with recommendations. The government expects that implementing these recommendations will help resolve the sector's challenges.
Minister C P John clarified that the crisis in the private bus sector actually began during the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the number of private buses dropped from 19,000 to 13,000, and was not caused by the Priyadarshini scheme. However, he noted that the free travel scheme for women is one of the contributing factors to the difficulties currently faced by operators.