Bhubaneswar, June 2: The state government today increased fares for passenger buses in tune with the automatic fare adjustment mechanism.

According to the notification, the fare for ordinary and express buses increased by 1 paisa per kilometre, while the fare for deluxe and AC deluxe category buses by 2 paise per kilometre.

With this hike coming into effect, the fare for ordinary buses will now be 60 paise a kilometre as against 59 paise a kilometre earlier, while the fare of express buses has been increased to 63 paise from 62 paise a kilometre. Deluxe category buses will now charge 84 paise as compared to 82 paise a kilometre earlier and commuters travelling in AC deluxe buses have to pay Rs 1.05 instead of the earlier fare of Rs 1.03 a kilometre.

Before this, the state government had hiked bus fares on March 10 and 19 and May 3 and 23 this year.

"The hike will definitely affect the citizens, especially students, who rely on buses on a daily basis," said Aditya Das, a passenger.