Bus owners in Maharashtra seek Raj Thackeray's support for complete waiver of toll fees

The School Bus Owners Association on Wednesday petitioned MNS leader Raj Thackeray on Wednesday, seeking his support for demanding complete toll waiver for school students traveling in buses across Maharashtra.The association members plan to meet Thackeray in the next few days.

In Mumbai, nearly 3,500 students travel across the toll nakas while traveling to school and back home. They should be accorded special status and the toll should be waived for such buses," said SBOA president Anil Garg. He added that school bus operators had hiked fees by 5% for students who travel by buses which cross toll posts en route to school.

Taking up the people’s issue of toll tax in Maharashtra in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls, MNS President Raj Thackeray on Monday said his party workers would set ablaze toll booths if the government does not ensure that small vehicles are exempted from paying toll taxes.
Shiv Sena-BJP alliance had promised a toll free state, however, that goal was not realised when the Fadnavis-headed saffron alliance was in power from 2014-19. Later, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power, yet nothing moved ahead. After Raj’s outburst, MNS activists staged protests at several toll booths in the state.