Srinagar, April 29 -- The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday announced an 18 per cent increase in fares for all categories of commercial passenger vehicles, including buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws, across the Union Territory.

An order issued by Transport Secretary Dr Piyush Singla accessed news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) said the revised rates would be applicable over and above the fares notified under SRO-97 dated March 19, 2021. The hike covers big and mini buses, base model contract carriages like Sumo, Bolero, Swift, as well as medium and premium segment tourist taxis including Innova and Fortuner.

Auto-rickshaws (petrol version) and Tata Magic stage carriages have also been included in the 18 per cent hike, the orde...