Srinagar: The bus fare hike is being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir and the commuters will have to pay Re 1 for most of the distance slabs, sources said on Sunday.
The governor administration has already approved more than eight percent increase in the existing bus fares in the state. According to an SRO issued here, the government has directed the state transport authority to fix the maximum chargeable fare in respect of various types of vehicles.
For big buses (stage carriages), the fare hike of 8.25% has been approved; 8.70% for medium, mini buses; for taxi/max cabs, the hike approved is 8.10%, auto rickshaws (petrol) 6.6% while for stage carriages (tata magic), it is 8.70%.
The effective hike for distance slabs of 0-3 km, and 3-7 km would be Re 1, sources said and added that the State Transport Authority shall issue a detailed notification specifying revised slab-wise fares soon.
The SRO was issued after State Administrative Council (SAC), under the chairmanship of then Governor, N N Vohra. It approved revision in the passenger fare of all commercial passenger vehicles keeping in view sharp rise in the fuel prices and other operational and maintenance cost.
In order to provide immediate relief to the transporters and vehicle owners who are plying commercial passenger vehicles and are providing transportation facilities to the general public, the State Administrative Council (SAC) took the decision to increase the fare, officials said.
In this regard, Motor Vehicles Department carried out the cost analysis based on all relevant inputs including fuel prices in the month of April 2018 and a proposal was submitted to the Transport Department. The Department convened a meeting of the Fare Revision Committee constituted for recommending increase in fare and freight structure, in which representatives of the various Transport Associations and Unions from across J&K also participated.
