With the West Bengal Assembly elections approaching, the West Bengal Bus-Minibus Coordination Committee has informed the Election Commission of India about their conditions for providing buses for election duty. They stated that no buses or minibuses will be supplied unless payments for vehicles used in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are fully settled. The association has also outlined new rates for different bus categories for the upcoming state polls.
The demanded rates for buses with 40 seats or more stand at Rs 4,500 per day, while buses with 30 to 40 seats are priced at Rs 4,000 per day. For buses with up to 30 seats, the rate is set at Rs 3,500 per day, and air-conditioned buses are priced at Rs 5,500 per day. The association’s General Secretary, Rahul Chattopadhyay, emphasized that bus drivers and workers hired for these buses must be paid Rs 500 per person per day.
Chattopadhyay highlighted that the current rates for supplying buses in West Bengal for election purposes are comparatively low, and there are delays in receiving full payments for the vehicles used in elections. The association has made it clear that the buses will only be provided if the Election Commission of India agrees to their terms.
