Private AC bus tickets to Tirunelveli cost as high as ₹2,000 as operators ignore govt warnings
Going home from Chennai for Diwali celebrations can be costly.
There have been reports that to cash in on the festival rush, private bus operators have hiked fares drastically and are driving away passengers ignoring warnings from the authorities.
S Paul Raj, a shopkeeper from Adambakkam, said, “We do not have a direct train for our native near Thesianvilai in Tirunelveli district. For the puja holidays, we could not get a seat in the special buses run by the state as we had planned our journey at the last minute. So, we had to pay ₹2,000 per person in the non-AC omnibus. This is daylight robbery. You can guess that the expenses of the family of four and the income of three months have been spent. They have already increased the price for this Diwali. We don’t know how we will go home to celebrate the festival.
A businessman from Tambaram and a regular traveler from Tirunelveli, K.K. Kumarasan said, “On normal days, operators call passengers in non-AC bus to Tirunelveli for only Rs 550 per seat. But during the festive season, they charge ₹2,000 without any hesitation. This time they have increased the rent. A family has to spend at least ₹10,000.”
There is a huge difference in the fares of government buses and private buses. For example, TNSTC charges ₹391 for non-AC and ₹663 for AC sleeper for Coimbatore on any given day. Whereas two days before Diwali, all ACs charge ₹1,600 to ₹1,900 for sleepers and their non-AC fares are around ₹1,080-₹1,400. The charge increased two-fold from the off-season. Similarly, the fare for AC sleeper in Madurai, Thoothukudi and Nagercoil is Rs 2,600.
Commuters say that as soon as railway reservations are closed, private bus operators increase their fares.
KP Krishnadas, a lawyer from Madurai said: “The normal fare for Madurai is around Rs 800 and now it has been increased to Rs 1,500 for non-AC buses. Some people are operating all buses using rush during the season and they charge ₹2,000- ₹2,500 for Madurai and ₹4,000 for travel to Nagercoil.
Some operators even block online booking, giving the impression that all seats are booked. This is a trick to create artificial demand. Last minute travelers have to buy tickets at astronomical rates.
In some towns, operators employ middlemen to pick up passengers and proper receipt is not issued.
Closer to festival days, some “fly by night” operators prepare buses and operate them to make money.
In view of the festival, the transport authorities are not strict enough to curb illegal business.
‘Poor occupancy’
However, Tamil Nadu Omni Bus Owners Association (TOBOA) president M. Afzal said: “There is still no occupancy since the lockdown was relaxed. There is only 40% to 60% occupancy. The ground reality is different. Out of 3,000 buses, only 400 are operated. This in itself gives a clear indication of the state of the industry now. Fuel costs have gone up and exceeded revenues.
“Some fly-by-night operators post ₹2,000 on online portals and later will take passengers for ₹400 as people cannot book tickets. Those buses are operated by touts and drivers. We cannot stop them completely. Police fines such operators and sometimes, we stop them with the help of transport officers. We fix the fare keeping in mind various factors and passengers can check the fare www.toboa.in To decide the booking”, Mr. Afzal said.
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