The Road Transport Ministry is set to roll out new rules on national permit fee that will see the introduction of a uniform 1-time annual fee.
Under the new policy, which is likely to be introduced this week, tourist passenger vehicles need only pay a 1-time annual fee for seamless travel across the country.
This is in-line with the national permit fee paid by trucks and the fare, says the ministry, would also reduce by it being made uniform, something that tourist transport operators would welcome as they are hit by soaring fuel prices.
The ministry believes that the current tax regime is a big roadblock for tourist bus service as it is different from one State to another.
No State government has so far objected to the ‘All India Tourist Vehicles Authorisation and Permit Rules’ after the draft notification was published.
Thus, the policy will be out soon, said a ministry official, adding that the new national permit fee rules will provide more options to people when it comes to travelling.
If the new policy is implemented, says the ministry, operators would likely pay only 50 percent of what they shell out now in States like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Telangana.
There will be a uniform authorisation fee which, the Road Transport Ministry says will be charged at all States and it will differ based on the number of passengers a vehicle can legally carry.
For an air-conditioned bus which can transport more than 23 passengers, the yearly permit fee would be around Rs. 3 lakhs, while an air-conditioned mini bus than can only take 10-23 commuters will be charged Rs. 75,000/-.
Source – ETAuto.com