Overview
- Kerala’s transport secretary issued a gazette notification on Tuesday directing the State Transport Authority to review the unified colour code that was imposed on tourist and contract buses in August 2021.
- The 2021 rule was introduced under Rule 264 after the Kerala High Court ordered limits on large images and text on buses for road safety, and the court’s safety directions remain in force.
- The Union government’s All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023 do not set a vehicle colour, which lets buses with All‑India permits from other states operate in Kerala without the state’s colour restriction.
- Operators complained that the state-only colour mandate pushed some owners to re-register buses in other states, which the transport department says reduced Kerala’s motor-vehicle tax and permit-fee receipts.
- The STA has been asked to decide whether to retain, modify or revoke the colour code, and any new order must comply with central rules and the High Court’s road-safety directives; the final decision is pending.