Exorbitant fares by pvt buses take passengers for a ride

The fares of the private bus have gone up by 50 to 60 per cent over the normal prices on an average.
The fares of non-AC buses from Chennai to Madurai are priced at Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,750 as against the regular Rs 600 to Rs 700. Similarly, the sleeper berths on AC buses for the same costs between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,200 as against Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,200. Passengers to southern districts were among the worst affected. Fares to Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Nagercoil, Thoothukudi, Thiruchendur peaked up to Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500 in seater buses.

The fares to places like Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai and Karur are between Rs 1,700 and Rs 2,000. “With the train tickets being sold out much in advance, omnibuses were the only available option to visit my native Tirunelveli. The government bus tickets will be cheaper but are also not available. So there is no other option but to take omnibuses. They are charging Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,200 for AC sleeper,” said K Somasundaram, who resides at Porur.

Omnibus operators denied charging higher fares during festival seasons and blamed travel agencies for fleecing commuters. “About 5,000 to 10,000 additional buses from various parts of the State are operated during peak seasons. These buses, mostly smaller service transporters, overcharge, not bigger companies like us. The profit margin of bus operation has drastically come down over the years,” said an officer-bearer of the Tamil Nadu Omni Bus Owners Association (TOBOA).

The Transport Department has washed its hand off the issue, refusing to intervene citing lack of legal provisions. “We can penalise the private buses only for the permit violations,” an official of the Transport department.

Taking into consideration the long weekend with Ayudha Pooja and Dusshera falling on October 7 and 8, the State transport undertakings would operate 6,145 special buses from October 4 to 6. Apart from the daily regular service of 2,225 buses from the city to various destinations across the State, 1,695 special buses would be operated to various places. The corporation would also operate 717 buses from Coimbatore, 280 buses from Tirupur and 245 buses from Bengaluru.