THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The private bus owners will go on a strike from Wednesday midnight onwards, in protest against the unchanged ticket rates amid the rising fuel prices. We will not back down from the strike. The government is pushing us into such a situation, said the bus owners.

The indefinite bus strike, declared across the state under the leadership of the bus owners' joint protest committee, will begin Wednesday midnight. The strike is organized with demands such as raise the minimum charge to Rs 10, increase the student ticket rate to Rs 6 and the kilometre rate by one rupee ten paise.

However, Transport Minister Antony Raju has said that the bus owners cannot pressurize the government with strikes. If the private bus owners go ahead with their strike, then we will increase the KSRTC bus services, he added.