Bantwal: Private contract carriage bus fare hiked

Bantwal: Following the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) fare hike, fares for contract carriage (private) buses operating on various routes in Dakshina Kannada district have also been increased.

Although officials of district bus owners’ associations earlier stated that they would not raise fares immediately, they hinted that a hike might become inevitable in the future.

However, ticket prices for contract carriage buses have been increased from January 7. These buses operate on routes from Mangaluru to places such as Puttur, Uppinangady, and Vittla, which are also served by numerous KSRTC buses.

The contract carriage permits for private buses on nationalized routes were granted in 2003 due to the inadequate operation of government buses.

Commenting on the fare hike, Jayaram Shekha, president of the Contract Carriage Bus Owners’ Association, stated that they pay higher taxes than other buses, making the fare increase unavoidable.

Fare Hike in Kerala Buses Too

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has also increased ticket fares for buses operating to Karnataka from January 7. This was implemented following Karnataka’s fare hike, as per the inter-state agreement mandating uniform ticket fares between the two states.

Currently, the Kasaragod-Mangaluru ticket fare has increased from Rs 74 to Rs 81. The fare for Puttur has risen from Rs 74 to Rs 85, and for Sullia, it has increased from Rs 73 to Rs 80.