School bus operators in Mumbai have said they will increase the fee for ferrying students by at least 20 per cent in the current academic year, compared to rates before the COVID-19 pandemic, due to hike in fuel prices and other reasons. School Bus Owners Association (SBOA) office-bearer Ramesh Maniyan told PTI that the bus fee for students would be increased by 20 per cent or even more after schools across the city opened on Monday, but according to regions and schools. will vary.
He said that they have been forced to increase school bus fee due to various reasons, such as increase in fuel price, payment of salaries of drivers and other employees, increase in cost of bus, RTO fee, traffic fine and so on in the last two years. Fines paid, when their operations were discontinued. Although the business was closed for two years due to the pandemic, the salaries of drivers and other employees, such as cleaners and female attendants, went up, he said.
Manian, who is also the office bearer of the Mumbai Bus Malak Sangathan, said the life of a school bus in Mumbai is about eight years, compared to 15 years in other parts of the country. So, he had requested the government to allow him to operate the old buses for another two years as the vehicles were not plying during the pandemic, but it was turned down. He said that if the government had accepted the demand then (of the bus fee) would not have been passed on to the parents of the students.
Meanwhile, parents of some students said that the schools are yet to inform them about the hike in bus fee, but some operators have indicated the hike, which will affect them at a time when they are already burdened by inflation. “My daughter’s school is in Byculla area. A school van operator earlier used to charge Rs 900 per month for travel from Kalachowki area (about three kilometers away). Though the school has not yet revealed anything about the increase in bus fee, the old operator has told some parents that they are going to charge Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,500, which is quite high for such a short distance. Oblivion. The parents further said that they are now exploring other options like hiring a cab to bring a group of students from their locality, as it will be comparatively cheaper for them.
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