Thiruvananthapuram, July 10 : The Government of Kerala today decided to increase fares of ordinary and fast passenger buses by Rs one and fixed the minimum charges in these categories at Rs four and Rs five respectively.

Announcing the decision in the State Assembly, Transport Minister Mathew T Thomas said the decision to hike the charges was taken following the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products and motor vehicle spare parts.

A decision to change the concession rate of students would be taken only after holding talks with students’ organisations and Private Bus Operators, he said.

Justifying the decision to hike the fares, Thomas said due to the recent increase of prices of petroleum products, the additional expenses of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation have gone up by Rs 4.75 crore on diesel bill alone per month.

Similarly in the case of spare parts, the Corporation''s expenses increased by Rs 2.75 crore per month, he added.

The new rates would come into force after the Government issuing an order in this regard, Thomas said. (ANI)