Kochi: Once a meaty business, operation of private buses as stage carriers is now considered a risky venture with half the players quitting the industry in the last five years.
More bus owners are expected to opt out of the industry once the Motor Vehicle Department starts implementing the Bharat Stage (BS)-IV emission norms by November one.
“As per our study conducted in 2011, there were 34,000 private buses in the field, however, their numbers have been reduced to 15, 000 odd in 2015,” said Dr B. G. Sreedevi, Director, National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC).
Lawrence Babu, Chairman of the Private Bus Operators Confederation and a member of the Motor Vehicle Welfare Board, put the present size of the industry at 14, 600. “Only those buses which contribute to the Welfare Fund can levy the taxes. Hence we can know size of players active in the private bus industry field,” he said.
The rising operation cost has forced many to quit as bus owners say the business is no longer sustainable. “The daily collection is only in the range of Rs 900 to Rs1200 and has not gone up. Now less people travel in public transport since many now own vehicles. However, the expenses with regard to fuel, spareparts, premium, employees’ wages all have gone up. Insurance alone has seen a hike of 23 per cent from April one last,” rues M. B. Satyan, an Ernakulam-based bus owner who now owns only two buses (REMADEVI) as against nine four years back.
