Cpm demands immediate rollback of bus fare hike in himachal pradesh - the statesman

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), condemning the increase in bus fares as anti-people, demanded that the Himachal Pradesh government should immediately roll back the hike in all bus

fares. Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary Sanjay Chauhan said here on Wednesday that initially, the government increased the minimum bus fare from Rs 5 to Rs 10, a 100 per

cent hike. Following this, bus fares were raised by 15 per cent.” Advertisement “The fare for ordinary buses in plain areas has now been increased from Rs 1.40 per kilometer to Rs 1.60, and

in hilly regions, from Rs 2.19 to Rs 2.50 per kilometer. Thus, the fares across all types of buses have been increased by a minimum of Rs 0.20 to a maximum of Rs 0.68 per kilometer—an

excessive rise,” he said. Advertisement Subsequently, school bus fares have also been raised again to Rs 2,500 per month. Till October 2024, the fare for a distance of 0-5 km was Rs 600 per

month, which has now tripled to Rs 1,800 per month in just eight months, he rued. The new monthly pass fares for school buses are almost double the standard daily fare, which is completely

unjustified, he claimed. If the government fails to reverse this decision with immediate effect, the party will mobilize the public and launch a state-wide agitation against this economic

burden on the people, he cautioned. “The general public in both rural and urban areas heavily relies on bus services. Therefore, this fare hike will severely affect the common people –

particularly farmers, labourers, students, employees, women, and the youth. Daily commuters, including daily wage laborers, school children, office-goers, working women, and farmers, will

now have to pay nearly double or more for short-distance travel,” said Chauhan. The incumbent Congress government is also following the same neo-liberal policies being promoted by the

Modi-led Central government, he said. “The justification that fare hikes are necessary to pull Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) out of the financial crisis is misleading.

In reality, successive governments and their neo-liberal policies are responsible for the current economic crisis in the state. These same policies are being implemented in the transport

sector through privatization,” he said, adding that due to these policies, the number of HRTC buses and routes is continuously declining. Profitable routes are being handed over to private

operators, leaving HRTC to bear the losses. Currently, HRTC is left with only 2,573 routes and 3,150 buses, while private operators control most of the profitable routes and operate nearly

8,300 buses, he claimed. “The sharp rise in minimum fares and school bus pass rates will particularly impact urban areas, especially cities like Shimla that already struggle with severe

traffic problems. As a result of the fare hikes, people may start using private vehicles for school, office, and other daily activities, which will further worsen traffic and pollution. It’s

estimated that Shimla alone could see over 500 additional private vehicles on the roads due to this move,” he said. The party demands that the government should fulfill its responsibility

as a welfare state by immediately withdrawing this fare hike and strengthening public transport services like HRTC to provide affordable transportation to the public. Advertisement