TN Govt to Decide on Private Bus Fare Revision by December 30, High Court Informed
The Tamil Nadu government has told the Madras High Court that a final decision on revising private bus fares will be issued by December 30, 2025. The assurance came during the hearing of a petition filed by the Federation of Tamil Nadu Bus Operators’ Associations, which sought fare revision due to steep operational costs.
According to the federation, private bus operators have been urging the government and the Transport Commissioner to revise fares, citing continuous diesel price hikes and the burden of free bus pass schemes. A high-level committee, constituted through a Government Order on December 6, 2024, had held consultations with bus owners last March, but no follow-up action was taken.
Appearing for the State, Additional Advocate General Haja Nazuruddin and Special Government Pleader M. Shajaha informed the court that the government had received 950 suggestions on the revision and would finalise orders by the end of December.
Justice V. Lakshminarayanan, after recording the government’s assurance, disposed of the petition and directed the State to submit its final decision on January 6, 2026.
The case stems from pleas filed by private bus operators in Chennai and Erode, who pointed out that fares have remained unchanged for eight years despite rising expenses. Diesel prices alone increased by 36.87%, from ₹67.50 in January 2018 to ₹92.39 in January 2025.
Tamil Nadu currently has the lowest private stage carriage fare in South India, at 58 paise per km, compared with ₹1.10 in Kerala and ₹1.02 in Andhra Pradesh.
