Special teams will inspect omnibuses till Aug 22: Minister

CHENNAI: With complaints pouring from the passengers on overpricing of tickets by omnibuses for the second week in succession, Transport Minister SS Sivasankar on Friday said that special teams have been formed across the State to inspect the private buses and added that he held a meeting with the transport department officials to find a permanent solution to this issue.

Addressing a press conference at the secretariat, he said that following the numerous complaints from the passengers over fleecing by the omnibuses during the long weekend, special teams were formed by the transport commissioner to inspect the buses.

“We have served check reports to 953 omnibuses after the inspection. During the inspection, 97 passengers who complained about the excess collection of fares got back Rs 68,090 from the omnibuses. The action was taken on four buses which were being operated without the permit. We have collected a fine of Rs 11.04 lakh from the omnibuses for various violations, ” he told reporters.

Pointing to the long weekend (Krishna Jayanthi on Friday), he said the special teams have been formed to conduct inspection from Thursday and it would continue till August 22.

“If excess fares were collected from the passengers, the omnibuses would be asked to return the excess fare on complaints and action would be initiated against the private buses, ” he added.

Sivasankar said as the issue of exorbitant fares collected by the omnibuses keeps cropping up every time, a meeting was held with the higher officials to arrive at a solution to the issue.

“In October month, during the Ayudha Poojai and Deepavali festival, there will be continuous holidays. We held consultations on how to handle that, ” he said.

Manojkumar, a native of Tiruchirapalli who works in the city said that the omnibuses are hiking fare by two to three times the normal fare during the long weekend holidays. “Several omnibuses are selling a ticket for Triuchirappali that too AC seater starting over Rs 2000. One of the operators is selling a ticket for Rs 2999. Normally, an AC seater fare would be in the range of Rs 800-Rs 1000,” he said, adding that those travelling to the southern districts are being fleeced the most.