Private bus operators hike fares ahead of festivals

BENGALURU: With a string of holidays coming up and the summer vacations for schoolchildren, private bus operators are yet again fleecing passengers by significantly hiking fares, which is three times higher than normal.

As there are at least three government holidays between April 7 and 14, may people have planned to go to their hometowns or on a short vacation. Taking advantage of the situation, private bus operators have jacked up ticket prices, with tickets for long-distance journeys being unreasonably high.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has deployed 2,250 extra buses on various routes ahead of the festival with a 5 per cent to 10 per cent discount. But traveling by private transport has become very expensive. Private buses are charging three times more from Bengaluru to almost all parts including Shivamogga, Hubballi, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi, Madikeri, Davanagere, Raichur, Belagavi, Bidar and Chikkamagaluru. The AC Volvo multi-axle bus ticket fare is triple the normal fare.

On regular days, the bus fare ranges from Rs 450 to Rs 600, and now, during the festive season, the fares have risen to anywhere between Rs 950 and Rs 1,250. A ticket from Bengaluru to Hubballi is Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 during regular day, but now, private bus operators are charging Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,600 per head.

Mangaluru passengers used to pay price range between Rs 500-1,000 on normal days, and passengers are now facing an inflated fare between Rs 1,400- Rs 1,900. Similarly, a a ticket from Bengaluru to Udupi is Rs 600 to Rs 950 during regular day, but is now Rs 700-Rs 2,200 per head. Madikeri passengers used to pay Rs 600 to Rs 600 on a regular day, and the prices have risen from Rs 950 to 1,200 now.

Passengers bound for Kalaburagi are forced to pay Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,900 per seat against Rs 900-1,300 on normal days. The fare from Bengaluru to Dharwad has risen to Rs 1,350-Rs 1,750 per head against  the regular fare of Rs 650-800.

Likewise, the ticket fare for Bengaluru-Belagavi journey has been hiked to to Rs 1,300- 1,800 against the regular Rs 500-800; to Davanagere Rs 900-1,300 per seat against Rs 450-600; to Chikkamagalur Rs 1,100-Rs 1,300 against Rs 550-600; to Bidar Rs 1,600-1,800 against Rs 850-1,200 and Belagavi Rs 1,250-1,600 against Rs 600-Rs 900 .

The significant increase in private bus fares has come as a huge burden for those travelling home for the festivals, but the Transport Department does not seem to have done pretty much anything to keep the fares under check, many passengers said.