• Bus fare hike ruled out: Bengal government
• Fare between Baranagar and Shyambazar on Tuesday: Rs 15
• Earlier fare between Baranagar and Shyambazar: Rs 9

The number of private buses on Calcutta's roads increased on Tuesday and operators said more would roll out over the next few days.

The difference was made by an unofficial fare hike, effected by private bus operators but yet to be accepted by the government.

Across thoroughfares, private buses came to the rescue of commuters during morning and evening rush hours with passengers paying more than the government-approved fares on most routes.

Most commuters did not mind because even after paying the hiked fares, they coughed up less than what they used to over the past few days when autorickshaws were the only option.

“I paid Rs 15 for a ride from Baguiati to Sovabazar on a private bus. At least buses were available and the wait was not infinite,” said Joyjit Mukherjee, a private firm executive.

Private bus operators said they had circulated the new fare charts to most bus route committees across Calcutta. While they have already come into effect on some routes, they will do so on others from Wednesday.

“Once the new fares are implemented on most routes, the number of private buses on the roads will increase

further. Many more owners will roll out their buses from tomorrow,” said an operator.

The new fares are Rs 10 for the first 4km, Rs 15 for the next 8km and Rs 20 for 4km thereafter.

“We have distributed posters to bus route committees. They will be pasted on vehicles and on route charts,” said Pradip Narayan Bose, of the West Bengal Bus and Minibus Owners Association. “Since this is an unofficial fare chart, we have not informed the transport department. We can't.”

Several bus owners said the new rates had been arrived at considering the price of diesel, availability of passengers and the government’s stipulation that buses and minibuses would run with 50 per cent passenger capacity.

A litre of diesel sold in Calcutta for Rs 92.27 on Tuesday, a rise of nearly Rs 15 since January 1.

Some bus unions, though, said they were not in favour of drawing up such a rate chart without the consent of the state government. The Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, for instance, has convened a meeting of its members on Wednesday to discuss the demand for a fare hike.

For many passengers, the new fares did pinch but not as much as the auto fares they had been paying over the past few days.

Metro has reported that commuters, including those from the fringes, were paying nearly four times the bus fare for their daily commute by breaking journeys on autos.

The government on Tuesday sent yet another appeal to private bus operators asking them to resume their services.

"Please bring out your buses and resume the services first. Discussions can follow," transport minister Firhad Hakim had said on Monday.

Sources said the issue of commuters’ woes would come up at a "special meeting of the cabinet" that the chief minister called in the Assembly on Wednesday.