Kerala Private Bus Strike Called Off: KSRTC to Run Private Buses on Wet Lease

What happened

Private buses are a mainstay of daily travel across Kerala, so when operators threatened an indefinite strike from 3 November, the stakes were high. On Friday, 30 October, that threat was lifted.

Representatives of the Kerala State Private Bus Operators' Federation, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike since 27 October, met Transport Minister C.P. John at Trans Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. After the talks, they called off the protest, The Hindu reported. According to PTI, Transport Secretary D. Balamurali and Transport Commissioner Sparjan Kumar also attended the meeting.

The headline decision: the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will run services using privately owned buses taken on a wet lease. The minister described the move as a way to address the crisis in the private bus sector.

Why people are searching

The search spike, mostly in Malayalam, reflects a simple question many commuters were asking: will the buses run next week? The answer, for now, is yes.

The dispute has a wider backdrop. According to The Hindu, operators said their business had been badly affected by KSRTC's free travel scheme for women. PTI reported that the scheme, called the Priyadarshini service, offers free travel to women and transgender persons on ordinary KSRTC buses. Operators also sought higher fares, including student concession fares, and implementation of the Padmakumar Commission report.

What is a wet lease?

The term is borrowed from aviation, where one airline hires another's aircraft together with its crew. Mathrubhumi explained the bus version: the private owner provides the vehicle and the driver, while KSRTC provides the conductor and manages the passenger service. Janmabhumi reported that owners will also bear fuel and maintenance costs, and that the rent is yet to be fixed.

What else was agreed

• Steps towards giving the private bus sector industry status.
• Implementing the Padmakumar Commission recommendations, including extending the permitted service life of buses, in accordance with the law.
• Removing technical hurdles that stop owners from legally transferring their permits and services to others.
• A permanent committee of bus owners' representatives for regular talks with the government.

What comes next

Two of the operators' main demands, higher fares and revised student concession rates, were not settled. Mathrubhumi reported that the minister promised further discussions on both. The details of the lease, including how many buses KSRTC will take and at what rent, have not yet been announced. For now, the operators have withdrawn their strike call while those talks continue.