Kolkata: Private bus operators will not accept the financial package announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We welcome Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's decision for giving financial assistance of Rs 15,000 to each of the 6,000 buses that will operate in the city for the next three months. But we will not accept it. We want a hike in bus fares. Despite suffering losses of Rs 2,000 every day, we are providing bus services on humanitarian grounds," said Pradip Narayan Bose, secretary of West Bengal Bus and Minibus Owners' Association, on Saturday, a day after the announcement of Rs 27 crore subsidy to tide over private bus operators' financial crisis due to lockdown and the fuel price hike. The state government had also decided to bring bus drivers and helpers under the purview of the 'Swasthya Sathi' scheme.
"There are 42,000 buses and 3,000 minibuses in the state. Why is the subsidy being offered to 6,000 city buses? Private bus operators in other districts are also badly hit by the lockdown and the diesel price hike. If they are not given subsidy, we will not accept the offer of the state government," said Tapan Banerjee, general secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates.
However, the bus operators will again meet on Monday and submit a deputation to the Chief Minister and urge her to hike the bus fare. Currently, the minimum bus fare is Rs 7 for three kilometres and the maximum for 50 km is Rs 30. Earlier, the Fare Regulatory committee, formed by the state Transport department, was supposed to issue a balanced and cost-effective fare chart to the private bus operators.