Private bus operators in Rajasthan on one-day strike, demand tax waiver

Private bus operators of Rajasthan went on a one-day strike on Tuesday to press for their multiple demands, including increase in fare, simplification of the process for issuing temporary permits and tax waiver for buses unable to operate in rural areas due to rainfall, among others.

There are nearly 30,000 private buses across the state which are not operating due to the strike today, Satyanarayan Sahu, president of the Bus Operators Association Rajasthan, said.

These buses will not operate from 6 am to 8 pm on Tuesday, Sahu said.

The bus operators are holding protests at various locations across the state, including Sindhi Camp here from where several private buses operate.

"We have listed 24 points in our demand list, which were submitted to the Transport Department. There is resentment among the bus operators for not fulfilling the demands," Sahu said.

He added that due to the strike, movement of about 40 lakh commuters is likely to be affected.

After the demonstration, the bus operators will submit a memorandum to the concerned officer at all the district headquarters, Sahu said.

Some of the demands by the association include implementation of an offline system for issuing temporary permits along with the existing online system, as server issues often prevent permits from being issued, leading to booking cancellations.

They have also requested a waiver of road tax for buses that could not operate due to rainfall in the last two months, an increase in fares and a crackdown on illegal jeeps and autos operating on private bus routes, among other demands.