Bus fare hike proves a boon for share autos in Chennai

After the recent steep hike in MTC fares, daily commuters and the general public have been forced to try different modes of transport to save money on travel. 

While local trains turned out to be their first option, next was the share autos as the rates charged by them seems to be comparatively less than the bus fares in the city. However, transport officials denied any dip in the patronage for MTC buses and claimed that there was no loss of revenue. 

Anbazhagan, general secretary of Chennai City Motor Vehicles (TATA magic and share autos) Workers Union, said, “For instance, if MTC charges Rs 15 for a certain amount of distance, share autos collect Rs 10 for the same stretch. OMR, Guindy to Poonamallee, Vadapalani to Porur and Guindy to CMBT are  some of the key routes of share autos.” 

After the bus fare revision, more commuters prefer TATA magic share autos and the operators were getting an additional Rs 1000 approximately when compared to their per day collection in the past, he added. Meanwhile, MTC officials claimed that they have been instructed by their higher-ups to ply more number of ordinary services (white board). Asked whether the number of commuters in MTC services has taken a dip, the official quipped, “there is no decline except on some routes. We are monitoring those routes and studying ways to increase the patronage.” 

When contacted by DT Next , PWC Davidar, Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) said, “We are not focusing on revenue now. The core attention now is on route rationalisation suiting the convenience of the public.” “This is not the first time that commuters are switching to other modes of transport. Whenever there is a fare revision, it is a common phenomenon among the commuters, who return to buses after some time.” When asked about the revenue, he said, “There is no loss and we hope that all commuters will return to MTC buses in the next two to  three months.”