Private bus owners in West Bengal have formally sought a fare revision, proposing a minimum ticket of ₹18 for ordinary buses in Kolkata and warning that rising fuel, maintenance and compliance costs are pushing much of the private bus network towards financial paralysis.
The Joint Council of Bus Syndicates submitted the proposal in a letter to West Bengal Transport Minister Arjun Singh. The organisation’s general secretary, Tapan Bandyopadhyay, said fares had not been officially revised in the state since 2018 and that the operating environment had changed significantly over the past eight years.
Under the proposed Kolkata fare structure, passengers would pay ₹18 for the first four kilometres. The fare would rise to ₹20 for journeys between four and six kilometres, ₹22 for six to eight kilometres, ₹24 for eight to 12 kilometres, ₹26 for 12 to 16 kilometres, ₹28 for 16 to 20 kilometres and ₹30 for journeys between 20 and 22 kilometres.
The association has also proposed revised fares for services outside Kolkata. For ordinary buses in the districts, it has sought a starting fare of ₹20 for the first four kilometres, followed by ₹1.20 for every additional kilometre. For express buses, the proposed minimum fare is ₹25 for the first four kilometres, with an additional ₹1.50 per kilometre. The proposal sets a minimum fare of ₹40 for ordinary air-conditioned buses and ₹50 for Volvo buses for the first two kilometres.
The bus owners have asked for fare restructuring in minibuses operating in Howrah, Durgapur, Asansol, Malda and Darjeeling, as well as other district and hilly areas. They said private buses operate for an average of only 270 days a year, while owners continue to bear daily fuel, staff, police-case and tyre-related expenses. Their other costs include bank equated monthly instalments, three months of road tax, annual fitness certification and insurance.
The latest submission follows a nine-point memorandum that the organisation said it had given to the Transport Department on September 14. According to the report, the minister’s office had then indicated that the government would take a positive decision on fares after the Durga Puja period. The new proposal was submitted after Lakshmi Puja, following an earlier indication from the minister that discussions on fare increases would begin after the festival.
The state government has not yet issued a formal response to the proposal. However, an unnamed section of the Transport Department was quoted as saying that private bus operators had already increased fares without official approval. The department is aware that some buses are charging a minimum of ₹15 and fares of up to ₹18 based on distance, the report said.
The proposed increase now places the government before a dual transport challenge: addressing the cost pressures cited by operators while assessing the effect of higher fares on passengers who rely on private buses for everyday travel. The Transport Minister is expected to take a decision after examining the prevailing situation, according to the report.
