GUWAHATI: The Assam transport department will issue a revised notification on bus fare hike in two weeks’ time even as city bus associations here have increased rates from Tuesday on the basis of the old notification for “low-floor buses”.
Representatives of the All Assam Motor Transport Association (AAMTA), All Assam Luxury Bus Owners Association along with three city bus associations including the Guwahati Transport Association and the Deluxe City Bus Association, had a meeting with top-level officials of the state transport department on Tuesday evening to deliberate on the matter.
Bus associations are demanding a fare hike between 40 and 50 per cent in the wake of the daily hike in the prices of fuel, particularly diesel over the past couple of months.
“We had a meeting with the transport department led by the transport commissioner along with other top officials and it was decided that there would be a 30 per cent hike for long-distance buses and vehicles under the two associations after two weeks. A fresh notification will be issued in this regard,” an AAMTA official told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
The city bus associations have meanwhile increased the minimum city bus fare to Rs 7 (as against Rs 5 earlier) for the first three kilometres of the journey and thereafter a hike between Rs 3 and Rs 5 for every three to four kilometres (till 25km).
“There is a possibility of city bus fare revision as well. The transport department had taken feedback from the city bus associations in the meeting in regard to the repercussions of the hike effected from Tuesday,” he said.
A section of long distance private operators had recently come out with their own chart amid uncertainty as the system was yet to be streamlined.
The last round of bus fare hike in Assam, according to sources, had taken place in October 2012 when the price of diesel per litre was Rs 50.50.
