Mumbai: Want 20 per cent hike in school bus fares, say owners

An attendant helps students get off a school bus in Dadar. File pic

School bus owners have on Thursday written to the Maharashtra government seeking a 20 per cent hike to bus fares citing rising fuel prices and various taxes. This is in addition to the 30 per cent hike imposed from February 1, the days school buses were allowed to operate. Earlier on Wednesday, the state government announced a 100 per cent waiver of Motor Vehicles Tax for the period of April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022 for the Covid-hit school bus owners.

"Yes, we were given relief. But the new financial year has begun with new taxes and the operations have not picked up as expected. Further, the rising fuel prices have hit us hard. And a number of schools have also kept school buses optional too. This has led to a lot of imbalance. So, we are thinking of a further 20 per cent hike to offset the losses," said Anil Garg, president of School Bus Owners' Association (SBOA), Maharashtra.

As per estimates, there are around 50,000 school buses that employ about 1.5 lakh staffers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. "The government should consider us as an essential service and waive the various taxes that have been imposed on school buses. This will automatically bring down prices of fuel for our category at least," he said.

Transport department officials did not speak on record but told mid-day that it was difficult to give any such identification to school buses, as it is mostly an unorganised sector. An official added that a number of bus contractors have tie-ups with schools and they decide on the fares at the local level without any centralised control or monitoring. "The government at present mandates rules and regulations of safety for kids and enforce them, but other elements are in a bit of a grey area," an official said.

100
Percentage of waiver in motor vehicles tax for school buses