Costly fuel may drive private buses off Kolkata roads after curbs ease
Kolkata, West Bengal
As the city is looking forward to an easing of restrictions mid-week, it might struggle with very few buses on roads because of the climbing price of fuel.
Even if one-third of the workforce is allowed to attend office, a commute crisis is likely as private operators may roll out less than 5% of their combined fleet of 11,629 buses in the city.
Kolkata will be depending on the buses of the State Transport Undertakings (STUs). The diesel price in Kolkata touched an all-time high of Rs 89.88 a liter, while petrol was inching closer to Rs 100 a liter.
The private transport operators had convened a meeting on Monday and are likely to meet the state transport department officials on Wednesday. The enhanced corns in Kolkata remain in effect till Tuesday (June 15). The rising fuel costs have also hit the STUs.
With mounting losses, the bus operators have demanded an immediate revision in fares, otherwise, they can no longer run buses incurring losses. In the last six months, diesel has become costlier by Rs 15.86 a litre.
Since 99% of all transport vehicles (commercial vehicles like buses, taxis, and trucks) run on diesel, the impact of diesel price rise is far-reaching. Apart from a significant hike in the prices of essential commodities, public transport is set to be costlier. There seems to be no other option than to revise the bus fare rates.
The last fare revision happened in 2018, after which the bus operators have struggled to stay afloat. Almost every aspect of transport operation has increased in costs, but the old fares make it almost impossible to make a profit.
West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC), which runs the city bus services, also faces trouble with revenue plunging to a level never seen before. The oil marketing firms are also refusing to sell fuel on credit as the STUs have exceeded the credit limit.
Even with a slightly higher bus fare, buses will still be the cheapest option of public transport by far for a huge portion of daily commuters in the city. There should be no major issue with a rise in bus fares.
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Updated by Indranuj Ray
News Source: Times of India