Resolve our issues, we are not mafia: Private bus operators

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 16

Private bus operators of the state have demanded from the state government to address their grievances. In a press conference held here today, owners of various private bus companies said the private bus operators follow rules and they should not be called mafia.

Private bus operators Shubhkarman Singh Brar of the Malwa Bus Service, Iqbal Singh of the Sheikhupura Bus Service, Amarinder Singh of the Ambala Bus Syndicate and others shared problems being faced by the private bus operators.

“We pay taxes. Our legally registered buses are plying with permits granted by the state. No bus is operating without a valid permit. We are bus operators not mafia”, they said.

The private bus operators said due to the influence of a known political family from 2007 to 2017 and then from 2017 to 2022 due to the ‘mismanagement’ by bureaucracy and a former transport minister, the bus industry was in a shambles. They said there were only 329 private buses owned by the political family while around 2,100 buses were run by other private operators.

“We want to bring into the notice of the state government that we are an earning arm of the state. We contribute to the state exchequer by paying taxes. Ours is the only industry that pays MV Tax even if we do not have passengers and also pay when the buses don’t ply,” they said.

They demanded from the AAP-led state government that the facility of free travelling for women should also be implemented in private buses and the private operators should also paid for the same by the government, the motor vehicle (MV) tax should be reduced and the ‘Adda’ fees should be abolished. They also demanded that timetables should be framed by RTA with the consent of all operators with equal frequency. As diesel prices are increasing, the minimum fare should be increased from Rs 10 to Rs 30 and a quarterly review of bus fares based on the diesel prices be ensured, they said.

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