Private schools likely to enhance bus transportation charges

ADILABAD: Private schools and colleges are likely to hike the monthly bus charges based on the distance for which they pick and drop students following the steady increase in petrol and diesel prices in the last one-and-a-half years. It is said that the hike may be between Rs 150 and Rs 200 per student per month.  

All the institutions remained closed because of the lockdown and buses were confined to sheds in school and college premises. Managements of private schools and colleges are likely to revise rates to cover the fuel costs.

This will hit the parents badly as many lost jobs during the pandemic and are reeling under financial problems. Some of them have shifted their children to government schools while some opted for private schools where the fee is considerably less when compared to corporate schools.       

Meanwhile, private schools have to first pay up pending road transport taxes and insurance for the vehicles.       

There has been a Rs 29.37 hike in diesel price and Rs 30 of petrol from April 2020 in Adilabad town. The diesel price is presently at Rs 98.77 per litre while it was Rs 69.40 in April last year. Cost of petrol is Rs 107.50 as against Rs 75.67 in April 2020.

Principal of a private English medium school here said that they cannot bear the hiked diesel prices and parents have to shoulder the responsibility.

Many parents have engaged autos following the delay by private schools in providing bus transportation after schools reopened on September 1.  It is said that some private schools are to resume bus transportation facilities since parents are facing difficulty in dropping and picking up their children every day.