TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: In a bid to make the public transport system financially viable, the State Transport department is toying with the idea of providing subsidy upto Rs 3 per kilometre to private buses across Goa.
The Directorate of Transport is in the process of drafting a detailed proposal for bus operators, claiming that this is to help in resolving the grievances of bus operators and passengers. The private bus operators’ lobbies have come up with a series of demands which government is now working on with one apparently being loss of business due to the pass system being implemented by the KTC.
Director of Transport, Arun Desai said that the department is proposing kilometre-based subsidy to the private buses, conceding that the business is currently facing losses, especially with implementation of pass system by KTC.
Desai said that the subsidy upto Rs 3 per km would be proposed for government approval. The bus operators are demanding Rs 5 per km. The bus operators had claimed a loss of around 60 per cent to their business per day due to the KTCL pass scheme and had demanded that the same should be made applicable to them.
Transport Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar had announced in the Assembly to extend the pass facility to private bus operators too.
The director said that the pass system might not work well with the private buses, especially considering its large number and the short distance span.
The Transport department is also proposing to introduce electronic ticketing machines (ETM) that will enable the bus conductors to issue tickets on the spot and reduce malpractices such as non-issuance of tickets.
The department has plans to increase the life span of old buses for phasing it out under the Goa State Subsidy for Replacement of Old Passenger Buses Scheme. Currently, the government has announced phasing out buses which are 17 to 15 years old within three years time. The Transport department is now proposing to increase the life span to 20 years, as it was observed that the buses are not able to complete the required kilometres. A fix old bus replacement subsidy, which currently varies depending on the seating capacity of the bus, is also on cards.
Desai said that a full-fledged office for the private bus operators’ association is also been worked out at KTC bus stand, Panjim and that it would be a central office for all bus associations.
