Madras High Court revokes city bus license for a week due to high fares

TThe Madras High Court has ordered suspension of the license of a private city bus for one week from June 27, 2024, for charging two rupees too much fare from its passengers while operating on the Ukkadam-Gandhipuram route.

This is the first time that a bus licence has been cancelled for charging excessive fares from customers, although the demand has been pending for over a decade, said K. Kathirmathiyon of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC), welcoming the Supreme Court order.

In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the CCC regarding the charging of excessive fares, the Madras High Court observed, “From time to time, this Court issues appropriate orders. The authorities concerned are required to take stringent action to check the menace of over-fares by the transport operators. Mere charging of compound interest would not be the only solution. The Act, 1988 and the rules made thereunder also provide for suspension and/or cancellation of the licences.”

So far, bus operators, both private and those of the TN State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), have been collecting over-fares from a large number of people but have been given only a small fine for the same while booking. They pay this penalty and continue to charge over-fares and hence the public has no relief from the problem, Mr. Kathirmathiyon pointed out. Only a strict punishment would deter such operators and suspension of permit would send a strong signal to such violators, he said, adding that the organisation has urged the Supreme Court to take strict action against TNSTC buses as well.

“We have also demanded that action be taken against the conductors concerned who are charging and collecting excessive fares,” he said. As per Rule 80 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, no conductor is legally allowed to charge more than the fare approved by the Regional Transport Authority/State Transport Authority, which must be displayed in a conspicuous place inside the bus. Therefore, action must also be taken against the conductors, Mr Kathirmathiyon said.