School bus fares to rise by 15 per cent in Maharashtra from June 2026, says operators’ body

School bus transportation charges in Maharashtra will be increased by 15 per cent from June 2026 for the academic year 202627 the School Bus Owners Association SBOA Maharashtra announced on WednesdayThe association said the decision has been taken after repeated representations to the state government transport ministry and enforcement authorities failed to yield any relief measures for the sectorIt stated that operators have been facing a sharp rise in fuel prices driver and staff salaries vehicle maintenance costs spare parts insurance premiums toll charges permits and enforcementrelated penalties along with the impact of general inflationNo government relief despite repeated appealsAccording to SBOA Maharashtra several memorandums were submitted requesting support mechanisms and alternative solutions to avoid burdening parents However the association said no concrete response or corrective action was received from the authorities15 per cent hike unavoidable says associationldquoIn these circumstances and with no viable alternative available school bus operators are being compelled to revise transportation chargesrdquo SBOA Maharashtra stated adding that the revision was necessary for the survival of school transport operationsThe association clarified that the increase is not only due to recent fuel price hikes but a cumulative impact of multiple cost pressures affecting the sectorSafety and service commitments unchangedDespite the fare revision operators said they remain committed to maintaining safe reliable and compliant transportation services for studentsSBOA Maharashtra appealed to parents and schools to understand the situation and extend cooperation during what it described as a financially challenging period for the industryThe association has once again urged the government to urgently review the situation and introduce measures to support school transport operators while balancing the interests of students parents and schoolsMumbai school bus operators opposes states draft rulesLast month school bus operators strongly opposed Maharashtra governmentrsquos draft rules for school bus operations mainly over the proposed shift from annual advance payments to a monthly fee systemSBOAs head Anil Garg had argued that monthly payments could disrupt cash flow create uncertainty in operations and lead to issues if parents delay payments They also questioned the practicality of changing the system midacademic year as many schools have already collected annual bus feesThe draft had also proposed that fares be regulated by the Regional Transport Authority along with mandatory safety measures such as GPSbased tracking systems fire detection alarms panic buttons and other monitoring devices While the government says these steps aim to improve safety and standardisation operators claim many of the measures are already in place and would only increase costs and complexity