Chennai: In a move that could lead to annual fare increases in more that 7,700 private buses across Tamil Nadu, the state govt has proposed an indexing method to revise ticket prices in proportion to changes in diesel prices and spare parts costs. The model — recommended by a committee headed by the transport commissioner — is now open for public feedback following a direction from Madras high court.The development stems from writ petitions filed by private bus operators from Chennai and Erode, who sought fare revisions citing an eight-year freeze despite rising operational costs. Diesel alone saw a 36.87% jump — from 67.50 in Jan 2018 to 92.39 in Jan 2025 — according to the status report submitted to the court.Tamil Nadu currently has the lowest private stage carriage fare in South India at 0.58 per km, compared to 1.10 in Kerala and 1.02 in Andhra Pradesh. “If the indexing model is approved, future fare changes would be automatic, rather than delayed by prolonged administrative processes,” said R Dharmarajan, secretary, Federation of Bus Operators Association of Tamil Nadu.Responding to the court’s directive dated Jan 23, the Tamil Nadu govt constituted both an expert panel and a high-level committee. The expert panel held its first meeting earlier this year and is now collecting stakeholder inputs, including from consumer groups, state transport undertakings (STUs), and private operators. Suggestions and objections can be submitted within three weeks — either in person or by email (tc.tn@nic.in) — to the transport commissioner at Guindy, Chennai.“Fare revision for private stage carriages has long been delayed. The indexing method would allow for predictable, data-driven adjustments each year,” said a senior official from transport department.“With fewer govt buses on inter-district routes, especially in the southern districts, we rely heavily on private operators. You just have to visit any bus stop during weekends or festivals to see how crowded it gets. If fares are going to rise every year, it’ll hit regular travellers like us hard — but we also can’t afford service disruptions,” said Ramesh K, a passenger from Theni who commutes to Madurai every week.