Kerala HC stays single bench order on hiked bus fare

The Kerala High Court on Friday stayed a single bench order permitting bus operators to collect fares temporarily hiked by the state government in the wake of the COVID-19 regulations. A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice S Manikumar also directed the fare revision commission's head Justice M Ramachandran to look into the issue and take a decision.

The directive was given while considering an appeal by the government challenging the single bench's order permitting the operators to collect the increased fare from the passengers. In its appeal, the government contended that the bus owners would not suffer any loss if they charge the fare fixed during pre-lockdown. In May, the state government had temporarily increased the ticket rate by 50 per cent and fixed the minimum charge from Rs 8-12 in the light of curbs due to the virus-induced lockdown.

However, the government withdrew its order and restored the earlier fares. Challenging the government decision, general secretary of the All Kerala Bus Operators Forum Johnson Payyappilly had moved the High Court, saying the bus services cannot be run with the old fares.

Considering the plea, the single bench stayed the government order..