350 Private Buses in Coimbatore to Stay Off Roads on Sep 29 Over Expanded Free Bus Travel Scheme for Women

Coimbatore: Around 350 private buses in Coimbatore will remain off the roads on September 29 as private bus operators across Tamil Nadu stage a one-day symbolic strike against the proposed expansion of the State Government’s ‘Magalir Vetri Payanam’ free bus travel scheme.

The Federation of Private Bus Owners’ Associations today announced that private buses across Tamil Nadu will remain off the roads for 24 hours, from midnight on September 29 to midnight on September 30. The federation took the decision to protest the State Government’s plan to extend the free travel scheme for women to additional categories of government buses from October 2.

Around 7,500 private passenger buses operate across Tamil Nadu, including 350 in Coimbatore district. The operators allege that the expanded free travel scheme will lead to a sharp decline in the number of women passengers using private buses, resulting in daily revenue losses of more than 50%.

Duraikannan, president of the Private Bus Owners’ Association, said the sector had been facing financial difficulties, with no fare revision for private buses since 2018.

Explaining the financial challenges, he said a private bus generates around ₹12,000 to ₹14,000 in daily collections. A substantial amount is spent on 90 to 100 litres of diesel, while ₹2,700 is paid as allowances to the driver and conductor.

He said the remaining amount of around ₹3,500 had to cover vehicle insurance, road tax and maintenance expenses, leaving operators with limited earnings.

The association has demanded that the government provide an appropriate subsidy to compensate for the anticipated losses.

“We will keep private buses off the roads for one day on September 29 as a symbolic strike to press for our demand for government subsidies,” Duraikannan said.

With 350 private buses in Coimbatore expected to remain off the roads, commuters travelling from rural and suburban areas to the city, including employees heading to work, are likely to face inconvenience.