CHENNAI: At the stroke of midnight, a lot of commuters found themselves stranded at various bus stands in the state due to the sudden hike in fares announced by the state government on Friday.
Most commuters were left with nothing to cling on to but hope as every single penny they had counted in the day to pay their fare to get home had now suddenly fallen short. As a result, it was the cold floor of the CMBT and other bus stands that gave them a place to rest for the night as they waited for additional money either from friends, relatives or some kind soul. K Sankaran, a security guard of a public sector bank at Santhome, boarded an Arani-bound bus after waiting for about 12 hours at the terminus.
Long-distance journey was a concern for most as fares doubled on most routes. And it was not a matter of tens but 100s. “I came to the bus stand from Parrys around 5.30 am with `100 as the fare to Arani was `72. I spent `10 for tea and was shocked when I was asked to pay `115 to Arani. The conductor was rude and asked me to get off the bus,” said a senior citizen.
However, it wasn’t just the commuters who had a tough time, as even bus conductors were confused as to how to charge passengers.
Most commuters had only hope as every single penny which they had counted in the day to pay their fare back home, had now fallen short by many pennies. As a result, it was the cold floor of CMBT which was the only place they found for the night as they waited for additional money either from friends, relatives or some kind soul.
K Sankaran, a security guard of a public sector bank at Santhome, boarded an Arani-bound bus after waiting for about 12 hours at the terminus.
“I came to the bus stand from Parrys around 5.30am and I have got `100 with me as the ticket fare to Arani was `72. I spent `10 for tea. I was shocked when I was asked to pay `115 to Arani. The bus conductor was rude and asked me to get down from the bus. I called myfriend to bring `200, but managed to get `100. I starved the whole day and then boarded the Arani bus around 5.30 pm,” said a senior citizen.
The worst affected due to the midnight bus fare hike were passengers from neighbhouring districts who were economically poor- most of them daily wagers and those who came for medical treatment-and did not have the money to pay additional ticket fares.
Commuters from Villupuram, Cuddalore, Vellore, Tiiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri districts were seen stranded at CMBT. The ticket fares in TNSTC buses had been increased by `50 to `90 a ticket on routes above 140 km.
Commuters strongly criticised the sudden hike. “Had the fare increase been implemented after two to three days, we would have planned our journey. Almost every household has got a mobile phone with Internet and government could have easily announced the ticket fares well in advance,” said Rajarathinam, a school teacher and a commuter from Cuddalore.
Interestingly, post midnight, the bus terminus has been bustling with stranded passengers.
“Normally there will be 20 to 25 persons squatting on the verandah of the bus terminus at night. But things were different since early Saturday morning. More than 200 were sitting on the floors of the terminus since midnight. Many waited for additional money from their friends and relatives,” said an employee of CMBT.
Buses have been the lifeline for migrants from Madurai, Erode, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Tirupur, Coimbatore and Bengaluru.
Most of them come here for education and job opportunity. In addition, the regional business hubs spread across the State also keep transportation demand on the high.