The operators claimed that fares have not been revised for a long time, but diesel prices and other operating costs have gone up heavily, making the business enviable.
"Of the 37,000 buses under our fold, only 25,000 are now running as many owners have pulled out their vehicles due to unviability," the secretary of Joint Council of Bus Syndicate said.
"Due to bad business, buses will automatically go off roads if fares are not hiked," Bobby Mukherjee, who owns four buses on a city route, said.
Meanwhile, taxi operators in the metropolis are also likely to go off the roads if their fares are not hiked.
The Bengal Taxi Association, which had resorted to a two-day strike earlier, is likely to take a decision on their next course of action at a meeting after the Lakshmi Puja.
"At least 8,000 taxis have gone off the roads and only 28,000 are now in business," BTA president Bimal Guha said. "We hope that the government does something soon to ameliorate our situation," Guha said.
PTI