Kolkata bus owners seek relaxation of rules for 15-year-old buses, file petition in High Court

Tapan Banerjee, general secretary of a bus syndicate in Kolkata, has filed a petition in the High Court seeking a two-year exemption for buses that are 15 years old. He cites significant economic losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic as the rationale for allowing these older buses to continue operating. Banerjee warns that without intervention, the transport department's neglect could drastically reduce the number of buses servicing various routes.

On September 24, Banerjee, who also presides over route number 24 from Mukundpur to Howrah, submitted a public interest litigation (PIL) scheduled for hearing on October 4. He remarked, “While we have approached the court for our syndicate, we also represent the concerns of all private bus operators facing similar issues.”

The situation has become increasingly dire, as the average number of buses operating on routes across several districts has plummeted from around 100 to merely 20-30 over the last four years. This alarming decline follows a Calcutta High Court ruling from August 1, 2009, which banned the operation of commercial vehicles older than 15 years in the Kolkata metropolitan area (KMA) for pollution control. The ruling has significantly impacted bus availability, with the region seeing a decrease from approximately 7,000 buses in 2009 to a projected 3,000 by 2024. Furthermore, Banerjee highlighted that the last fare increase for buses occurred in 2018, despite multiple hikes in petrol and diesel prices since then.