Commuters hit hard by private bus strike in Ernakulam

The public in Ernakulam faced major inconvenience on Tuesday (July 8, 2025) following the State-wide token strike called by the joint committee of private bus owners to press for various demands, including the renewal of expired permits without delay and a revision of student concession rates.

Daily commuters had a tough time as around 1,300 private buses in the district stayed off the roads as part of the strike, according to estimates by the All Kerala Bus Operators Association.

The otherwise busy Vyttila Mobility Hub wore a deserted look in the morning as passengers had to rely on services operated by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to reach their destinations.

T. Gopinathan, general convener, joint committee of private bus owners, said the entire fleet of private buses remained completely off the roads.

KSRTC operated an additional 25 services from the Ernakulam depot in the morning in an effort to ease the woes of daily commuters. An official at the depot said most of the additional trips were operated along the Kottayam, Paravur, Piravom and Cherthala routes.

Many commuters availed themselves of Kochi metro services to travel between Aluva and M.G. Road, Vyttila, and Thripunithura. However, those travelling along routes not covered by the metro faced difficulties, with some waiting long hours to board KSRTC buses to reach home. The disruption in bus services is expected to continue on Wednesday, owing to the nationwide general strike called by various trade unions.

Private bus owners across Kerala have also warned of an indefinite strike from July 22 if the government fails to address their long-pending demands, which include the withdrawal of the directive converting limited-stop services into ordinary ones and the cancellation of the requirement for police clearance certificates for bus workers, among others.