Don't stay mute on fleecing, fix fares for omnibuses: Anbumani to TN government

CHENNAI: Pointing out the exorbitant fares collected by private omnibus operators, exploiting the Pongal holiday rush, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the State government to fix the fares based on judgments issued by the Madras High Court.

In a statement, Anbumani said that the government had not taken any steps to control the fares of omnibuses despite higher fares being charged, hitting commuters badly. “Online ticket booking portals have fixed the fares from Coimbatore to Chennai at Rs 5,000 and Tirunelveli to Chennai at Rs. 4,500. The fares mentioned are 6 to 8 times higher than government buses and 4 to 6 times higher than normal fares charged by private omnibuses,” he added.

Saying that the government has a responsibility to streamline the fares, Anbumani criticised the government, saying it had failed in its responsibility to curb the illegal act of fleecing people. The PMK leader said that the toll-free numbers mentioned to raise concern weren’t working. “Passengers could not reach out to the numbers announced by the government to report about higher fares,” Anbumani said. He lamented that after such complaints, the government would impose a penalty of Rs. 1,750 per bus that collected Rs 5,000 per ticket. “This will not stop fleecing,” he said.

Asking the government why it supports the fleecing, Anbumani urged the government to take stringent action against the omnibuses apart from fixing the fares.