TN private buses call off strike after govt assurance, Kerala operators plan protest

Private bus operators in Tamil Nadu called off their proposed 24-hour token strike after the state's revenue and transport ministers assured them that their concerns would be resolved through dialogue, Times of India reports. The strike, which was to start at midnight on 29 September, was called off on Tuesday, 29 September, by the Federation of Bus Operators Associations of Tamil Nadu. The operators were opposing the expansion of the state's free travel scheme for women, set for 2 October, and pressing for a fare revision. Federation leaders had earlier said around 7,000 private buses operate in the state at a 65 per cent loss, with diesel at over Rs 100 a litre against Rs 64 when fares were last revised in 2018.

Separately, private bus operators in Kerala, led by the Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation, will march to the Secretariat and hold a dharna on 14 October 2026, The Hindu reports. They are demanding measures to protect the industry from the Priyadarshini free travel scheme for women and transgender persons, a fare hike including student concession fares, and withdrawal of the Transport Commissioner's order for online-only timing conferences. The federation will observe a token strike on that day and, if demands are not met, will launch an indefinite strike in the first week of November.

Update, 2 October 2026: Times of India reports the Tamil Nadu private bus strike was called off on 29 September after assurances from revenue and transport ministers. The earlier Hindustan Times story did not include the cancellation. The Kerala operators' march on 14 October, reported by The Hindu, remains scheduled.