Toll issue: Private bus owners hold protest near Hejmady toll gate; to suspend bus services from today

Mangaluru: Private bus owners operating shuttle services in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Monday, suspended services via Hejmady onwards protesting compulsory levy of toll for buses plying through Hejmady village road.

Erection of toll gate on the village road per-se was illegal, however, villagers had agreed for the move as it prevented unauthorized movement of heavy vehicles inside the village to avoid the toll payment at the main toll plaza. The NHAI had exempted shuttle buses from paying the toll since 2019.

Of the about 40 shuttle buses, 32 were now operating post-COVID-19 lockdown and they make two to three round trips every day. The company was demanding Rs 200 for every round trip, which the operators were resisting. They could not pass on the additional burden on passengers as they travel only short distances.

Unlike express buses plying on the Mangaluru-Udupi sector, shuttle buses do not ply on the entire length of the national highway and move through interior village roads. They operate between different destinations, including Mangaluru-Karkala via Padubidri, Kinnigoli-Padubidri, and other places via interior roads.

Bus owners, who were already under loss, do not want to further incur losses and hence have decided to suspend the operations from today and held a protest near the toll gate.