Amid Rising Fuel Prices, Assam Transport Minister Says Bus Fares Will Not Be Hiked

Guwahati: In a major relief to the people of Assam, Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on April 8 assured that the bus fare will not be increased.

A meeting was held with the All Assam Motor Transport Association (AAMTA) on April 8 and after it concluded, the transport minister stated that the association cannot hike the bus fare.

Chandra Mohan issued a stern warning to the association by saying that their licenses will be cancelled if the association decides to increase the bus fare.

This comes in the backdrop of AAMTA submitting a memorandum to the government seeking a 70 percent hike in bus fares of city buses as well as inter-district buses.

Prabin Das, the General Secretary of AAMTA, has raised fingers at the government by saying that the state government has failed to consider the welfare of the transport workers. He added that the prices of every other commodity associated with their services have also surged significantly.

The memorandum of the AAMTA stated that the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 2021, amendment to rule 47 came into force with effect from April 1, 2022.

Prabin Das also went on to say that the transport owners will have to face the burden of additional taxation. 

To add to that, there has been an increase of 15 percent in toll plaza fees and Third Party Premium has also been hiked by 13 percent for this financial year.

Furthermore, he said that prices of tyres, battery lubricant, spare parts of buses, etc has witnessed a significant rise apart from the regularly increasing fuel prices.

The memorandum also went on to state that the Government had failed to provide the necessary financial assistance to bus owners and workers who were hit hard during the last two years as a result of the pandemic.

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