A section of private bus owners in Kerala have begun an indefinite strike. The bus operators are staging the protest with several demands including a hike in bus fares. The strike became effective Wednesday midnight.
The bus operators' associations that called for the strike had said that the government has not taken any step to address their concerns even after the Transport Minister Antony Raju promised to resolve their issues four months ago.
The bus owners' outfits had given a notice to the government about the strike.
Their major demand is that minimum charge for a trip be raised to Rs 12. Other demands include, hike in students' minimum fare to Rs 6, exemption of vehicle tax until the Covid period is over and reimbursement of tax paid during the pandemic period.
Minister Antony Raju had the other day hinted that a hike in bus fares was inevitable. Private bus sector was badly affected during the Covid-induced lockdowns and due to the rising fuel price.