Fewer buses after another round of fuel price rise

Kolkata: A sudden drop in the number of public buses on Tuesday left thousands of commuters stranded across Kolkata, following another steep hike in fuel prices. The crisis deepened as private bus operators officially renewed their demands for an immediate fare hike, warning that running vehicles at a loss has become unsustainable. Despite assurances of a stable fuel supply, the transport backbone of the city has begun to fracture under economic pressure.According to the oil marketing companies (OMCs), this is the second time fuel prices were hiked in the last five days, coming close on the heels of the PM's public message regarding fuel conservation. In Kolkata, the price of petrol per litre increased by 96 paise, soaring it to Rs 109.70. The price of diesel also witnessed a sharp jump of 94 paise per litre, bringing it to Rs 96.08. This follows last Friday's spike, where petrol jumped by Rs 3.29 to reach Rs 108.74, and diesel shot up by Rs 3.11 to hit Rs 95.13.With nearly 90% of commercial vehicles — including buses, minibuses and goods transport trucks — relying strictly on diesel, the twin hikes within a single week have sent shockwaves through both public transit and supply chain sectors. To minimise losses, private bus operators have begun rationing their services, significantly widening the demand-supply gap. On shorter routes, operators have quietly slashed daily runs, making only three round trips instead of the usual four. "We are operating at a complete loss. With diesel at almost Rs 100 per litre, how do they expect us to survive without a fare hike? Cutting down trips is our only desperate measure to save fuel. If the govt doesn't revise the fare structure immediately, more buses will permanently go off the roads," asked Tapan Bandyopadhyay, joint council of bus operators. The sudden shortage left major transit hubs like Esplanade, Howrah Station and Ultadanga choked with desperate passengers waiting hours for a ride. "I waited for over 45 minutes for my regular bus, and when one finally arrived, it was so dangerously packed that I couldn't even get near the footboard," said Sunita Das, an IT professional commuting to Salt Lake. IndianOil issued a statement on behalf of public sector oil OMCs, including BPCL and HPCL, assuring the public that despite global uncertainties impacting the oil and gas sector, fuel supplies remain entirely uninterrupted across West Bengal. The release stated that the oil industry is "fully geared to ensure seamless availability of fuels" through its network of terminals, depots and retail outlets.