The Coonoor Consumer Protection Association has appealed to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in The Nilgiris to initiate strict action under the Motor Vehicles Act against minibuses that were collecting excess fares from members of the public.

S. Manogaran, President of the Association said that the RTO had been briefed about the collection of excess fares by operators of private mini buses in the district, which had led to RTO officials conducting inspections on some vehicles and imposing fines in Udhagamandalam and Coonoor.

The Association said that such action had been highlighted in the media, but said that despite this, the vehicles, including those that had been inspected, had continued to collect increased fares from the passengers. “As a result, the public and the association believe that the inspections and the imposition of fines were merely an eyewash,” a press release from the association stated.

“Therefore, we request that strict action be taken under the Motor Vehicles Act against minibuses that continue to collect excess fares. We also kindly request that transparent and clean governance be ensured, and that the public be protected from such exploitation,” the press release added.