Fix fares for omni buses: Anbumani urges government

CHENNAI: Pointing out the exorbitant fares collected by private omni buses during the Pongal holidays, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the state government to fix the fares based on judgements issued by the Madras High Court.

In a statement, Anbumani said that the government has not taken any steps to control the fares of omni buses as higher fares are being collected. "Online ticket booking portals say that the fares from Coimbatore to Chennai as Rs. 5,000 and Tirunelveli to Chennai as Rs. 4,500. The fares are 6 to 8 times higher than the fares in government buses and 4 to 6 times higher than normal fares in the private buses," he added.

Saying that the government has a responsibility to streamline the fares, Anbumani criticized that the government has failed from its responsibility. "Passengers could not reach the numbers announced by the government to report about higher fares. After several complaints, the government will impose a penalty of Rs. 1,750 per bus that collected Rs. 5,000 per ticket. This will not stop fleecing," he opined.

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