CHENNAI: Private buses operators cannot fleece you this festival season. Even those passengers who have already paid the exorbitant fares need not fret, as the excess collected must be refunded when the passenger boards the bus, said the State's Transport Department following an interim order by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
After announcing fares for 2015-2016, All Omni Bus Owners Association has come out with a revised fare during the Deepavali rush between October 27 and 31. However, the court ordered the association not to collect fares over and above the rate announced for the year.
Now, the focus is on implementation. When the Express correspondent posed as a potential passenger and made enquiries, private bus operators said prices have been increased ahead of Deepavali. While several operators have listed lowered prices on aggregation portals, available seats are scanty and passengers are often over-charged over phone and in person.
For instance, the fare charged by KPN Travels from Chennai to Coimbatore for non-A/C sleeper journey is ` 1,170 and for A/C sleeper it is `1,559. The permitted fare is `850 and `1,200 respectively.
KPN is not the only agency. Several companies have listed prices way above the permitted rate even online. Geepee Travels, for one, charges up to `700 extra to Bengaluru on a semi-sleeper A/C bus.
The court order also said that rates announced by the association should remain till the end of the year, warning the operators against over-charging passengers after November 1. The court also directed the Transport Department, District Collectors and Superintendents of Police to ensure strict compliance with this.