Bus fare hiked in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY: Close on the heels of a hike in sales tax (VAT) and excise duty on liquor, the UT government, through a notification on Thursday, increased bus fares in Puducherry. The last fare revision by the UT administration was in August 2008.   ollowing the bus fare hike effected by the Tamil Nadu government two months ago, bus operators in the UT had themselves started charging excess fares.They stopped this practice after the government announced its decision to review the fares. As per the government notification, the revision will come into effect from Friday.  For town buses plying within the UT limits, the minimum fare has been fixed at Rs 3 (first stage), with an increase of 50 paise for every subsequent stage, which means a distance covering up to two kilometres. Previously, the minimum fare stood at `2, with an increase of 50 paise per stage.The maximum rate has been fixed at Rs 7.For buses plying outside city limits, the minimum fare, which stood at Rs 3 for 10 km and an additional 27 paise per km, has been increased to Rs 4.50 for 10 km and an additional 40 paise per km. The minimum fare for for Express buses, which stood at Rs 8 for 30 km and 27 paise per additional kilometre, has been hiked to Rs 15 for 30 km and 50 paise for every additional kilometre. In the case of town buses, while the minimum fare would remain at Rs3, 50 paise would be charged for every additional kilometre. This is lower than the rates prevalent in the Chennai metropolitan area, where Rs 1 is charged for every additional stage.