Deepavali rush: Operators continue to fleece, commuters seek regulatory body

Raja Pandi from Madurai, a newly married techie working in the city, told DT Next, “To travel to Madurai on Friday, I had to pay Rs 3,800 for two tickets on a decent air-conditioned bus. I will also have to spend the same amount for my return ticket. On normal days, I used to get a ticket at around Rs 700.”

To control arbitrary pricing of omni buses, consumer associations have urged the government to set up a regulatory body to keep the fares under check. “Omni buses charge an exorbitant rate for tickets every festival. The only solution for this day-light robbery is to set up a regulatory body on the lines of TRAI to monitor the ticket prices.

Government warning the associations of taking action for charging excess amount is a mere eyewash, as the authorities have not fixed any standard ticket fare for omni buses, enabling them to increase as per their wish,” said T Sadagopan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre. However, State Transport Minister MR Vijayabhaskar said the government was trying its best to monitor the ticket fares even though the Centre has not come up with any standard ticket prices under the Motor Vehicles Act. “State has launched a helpline – 1800 425 6151 – for people to complain about omni buses charging exorbitant ticket rate. The State is taking action on operators; last year, 36 buses were caught in a month for charging higher fares,” he said.

He added that the government has launched new buses with ample facilities such as sleepers, air-conditioning facility, toilets and newly launched air-conditioned buses for short distances. However, people prefer private buses for reasons best known to them, he said.

There is no difference between government and private, as Railways, too, charge exorbitant fares under dynamic pricing system. A third AC ticket to Madurai in Pandian Express costs Rs 815, but the same ticket in Tejas express costs more than Rs 3,100 under the dynamic pricing method.

The price of air tickets is high as usual, ranging between Rs 7,000 to Rs 13,000 from Chennai to Madurai, leaving no respite for passengers during Deepavali.