Date:27/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/05/27/stories/2005052700260801.htm

Back Increasing fares

Whenever oil prices go up, a frequent occurrence nowadays, government-owned road transport corporations increase passenger fares.

They have successfully lobbied for various fiscal reliefs, thus burdening the passengers and draining the tax payer of his money.

They should instead cut costs by reducing energy and other wastages, and , improving employee productivity and discipline.

The corporations must also focus on upgrading technology, professionalising management, eliminating free passes, avoiding unnecessary extravagance, both within and outside the organisations, and so on.

If road transport and rail transport sectors are also opened up to competition, bus and train fares would also fall steeply as it happened recently in the case of airfares and cell phone tariffs.

R. P. Rammohan

Hyderabad

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