Private bus operators in West Bengal have raised concerns over delays and uneven release of advance payments for vehicles taken for election duty, even as polling enters its second phase.

The Joint Council of Bus Syndicates said it had informed the State Election Commission, the transport minister and the transport secretary in February about key financial terms linked to requisition.

These included the daily rental rate, worker allowances and the advance to be paid per vehicle. The issue has come to the fore after the first phase of polling on April 23 in north Bengal, Medinipur and nearby districts.

Operators in Raiganj, Balurghat and Medinipur say they have not received any advance despite their buses being deployed.

“With the second phase of polling scheduled for April 29 and reporting for duty beginning April 26, we have now come to know that advance payments have been made in districts like Hooghly and Howrah. However, bus owners in Kolkata, Nadia and North 24 Parganas have still not received any advance payment,” said Tapan Banerjee, secretary of the council.

He said the gap in payments across districts has put operators under pressure.

“Bus owners have to pay workers' wages from their own pockets. There are EMI liabilities, staff salaries, and, in many cases, daily tyre rentals. Without timely advance payments, it becomes extremely difficult to sustain operations,” he added.

According to the council, over 90 per cent of buses have been taken for election duty in recent days. Around 3,500 buses operate in Kolkata and nearby areas, while the number across the state is about 32,000.

“Bus owners do not have unlimited financial resources. We request the authorities to resolve this issue at the earliest,” Banerjee said.

The council has asked election authorities to transfer advance payments to all bus and minibus owners whose vehicles have been deployed between April 23 and 29.

An Election Commission official said payments would be made in line with the rules and that every bus owner would receive dues accordingly.

The Commission has set the daily rental rate at Rs 2,530 per bus. Operators had demanded Rs 4,000 per day. The difference over rates, along with delays in advances, has added to concerns during the ongoing election period.