Kochi: A day-long strike called by a section of private bus owners seeking fare hike has badly affected the normal life in Kerala.
North Kerala was the worst-affected region in the state. People living in the rural areas too bore the brunt of the stir.
The strike also adversely affected Kochi that is largely dependent on private buses for city travel. Around 600 private buses kept off the roads in the city, derailing people's plans for the day.
The strike, announced Monday afternoon, caught many of the daily commuters by surprise. Most of Tuesday's morning commuters did not know about the stir and were in for a harrowing time as their regular buses kept off the roads.
"If we had known about the stir in advance, we could have planned something. Now, what do we do?" a woman commuter in Kochi told Manorama News.
The bus operators are demanding that the minimum bus fare be hiked to Rs 9 from the current rate of Rs 7. They threaten to hold an indefinite stir from Feb 2, if their demands are not met.