LS polls voting becomes costly in Tamil Nadu as bus operators hike fares by double
Taking to social media to highlight the fleecing, Dhivya Marunthiah, a political activist, put a post tagging Transport Minister SS Sivasankar and complained how omnibus fares were priced high again just before voting day. She urged him to take necessary action.
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CHENNAI: Exploiting the heavy rush of passengers travelling to their hometowns to cast votes for the Lok Sabha polls on April 19, omnibus operators here have steeply hiked fares, by up to 100 per cent in some cases. Transport department said action would be taken against operators if they receive specific complaints from passengers.
As the polling is scheduled to be held on Friday, more people from the city and adjoining districts are expected to travel to their hometowns considering the public holiday declared on the voting day, weekend, and summer holidays for schools.
Due to this, fares of omnibuses operated from Chennai to Madurai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and other parts of the State have been increased by Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,000 per ticket. For instance, a trip to Madurai on an AC sleeper would cost up to Rs 2,500-2,999 per passenger, while it would be about Rs 3,000 for a journey to Tirunelveli. Passengers travelling to Coimbatore would have to spend Rs 2,200 to Rs 2,800, which is nearly double the usual fares.
Taking to social media to highlight the fleecing, Dhivya Marunthiah, a political activist, put a post tagging Transport Minister SS Sivasankar and complained how omnibus fares were priced high again just before voting day. She urged him to take necessary action.
When asked, an office-bearer of the Omnibus Operators Association told DT Next that some operators hiking the fares have put all the operators under the scanner. "The operators are supposed to fix fares as per the maximum fare that the association had submitted to the Transport Minister. If any operators are found collecting fares over the maximum fare agreed upon, they will face action from Transport department," the person said.
Sources from the department said action would be taken against the travel companies if they receive specific complaints from passengers. Special teams would be formed to inspect omnibuses and action would be initiated on operators fleecing passengers.
Meanwhile, to ensure hassle-free travel for voting, the State Transport Undertakings are operating 10,214 buses across the State, including 7,154 buses from the city to various parts of Tamil Nadu. Buses would be operated from Kilambakkam, Koyambedu, Madhavaram and Tambaram to avoid overcrowding, officials said.