Private buses could be forced to halt services if diesel prices continue to rise, as operators may no longer be able to bear the fuel costs. A statement issued by the office-bearers of the Bus Operators Federation said here on Saturday that in the past ten days, the price of a litre of diesel has increased by more than ₹5.Around 100 litres of diesel are required to operate a 300-kmr service in a day. One litre of diesel costs ₹ 101. Most of the buses are now operating without getting adequate daily income to foot the fuel bills and the wages of the workers. If the fuel price hike continues, the Federation will be forced to stop the bus services, said a joint statement issued by K.K. Thomas, Federation State president; Hamsa Erikkunnan, general secretary; and M.S. Premkumar, treasurer of the outfit.During the Iraq-Kuwait war, when the price of crude oil increased in the international market, the then Manmohan Singh government waived the duty on diesel and provided subsidies to prevent petroleum companies from increasing prices. The NDA government should also control the increase in diesel prices by waiving the duty and providing subsidies to oil companies, said the statement.The Centre and State governments should also immediately provide subsidies to buses operating stage carriage services in the public transport sector and protect the private bus industry, which is the largest employment sector in the private sector. The federation leaders warned that if there is no urgent intervention from the two governments in this regard, private bus services will be disrupted even as educational institutions are scheduled to open from June 1, they said.eom Published - May 23, 2026 08:08 pm IST