Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal
Bantwal, May 11: KSRTC bus commuters will now have to bear the brunt of the hike in fares for pass for buses moving through Brahmakootlu toll gate. The bus pass fare has been hiked to Rs 1,230 as against the current fare of Rs 1,010 from Kalladka to Mangalore.
KSRTC has increased the monthly fare from Rs 40 to Rs 160 to meet the hike in toll fee collected at the booth. The sudden and steep hike has come as a shocker for commuters and burnt a deep hole in their pockets, forcing them to think twice before opting for bus pass.
The commuters are angered over the hike in the pass fares. On the other hand, KSRTC says it fixed new fares to bear the loss incurred by the escalated toll fee.
The pass for Kalladka-Mangalore KSRTC service earlier cost Rs 1,010, out of which Rs 40 was collcted as toll fee. Now, the fare has been increased to Rs 1,230, out of which Rs 160 is the toll charge.
The KSRTC held talks regarding the hike last Monday and decided to bring it into effect from Friday May 9. Shocked by the decision, commuters are now mulling a protest to demanding slash in the rates. KSRTC had in the month of January decided to hike Rs 4 in the bus rates. But buckling under the pressure of passengers of Puttur and Dharmasthala who protested against the new rates, it had stalled the decision.
The KSRTC chalked out this plan after the National Highway Authority of India renewed the fee structure. NHAI had imposed new rates to highway commuters from April 1. As protests were staged by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on April 18 to bring down the rates as election code of conduct was in place, the NHAI could not bring the new rates into effect.
The new toll fee will be imposed after May 16, after the election results. It is learnt that KSRTC has to pay as much as Rs 90 on a daily basis for buses that passed through the toll plaza. If the renewed rates come into effect, the KSRTC has to be pay 115, which necessitated the hike in bus pass rates. Since KSRTC does not want to hike the ticket fares on this route, they are hiking the charges on months pass, it is said.