A gazetted notification issued by the department of transport raised the prices of bus fares by one rupee last week despite the fuel prices unwinding twice in the last few months.
The notification states that the fares will be five rupees for the first five kilometres and 45 paise for every subsequent or part kilometre . The existing fare was Rs four for the first three kilometres while being the same for the subsequent part.
Though fuel price rise was the main cause to demand this hike, which was proposed during the rise in fuel prices a few months back, the current enforcement in the rates after the prices cooling down comes as a surprise.
Private bus operators argued the increase against the rising prices of spare parts and higher maintenance costs in recent times.
It is reported that in exchange for the fare increase, the bus operators have shown willingness to co-operate in printing and issuing tickets to passengers and adhere to the norms laid down by the department of transport.
Citizens in Goa have always had to bear the brunt of overcrowded buses with rules flouted including the excessive standing passengers and the buses delay in leaving the buses from the bus stands unless the bus is full of passengers.
The conductors in the buses also do not wear proper uniforms besides being rude to passengers who question their high handedness . The department of transport therefore need to show their mettle in dealing with all those bus operators and their employees who fail to adhere to the specified norms of the department.
No comments:
Post a Comment