SALEM: Despite repeated inspections and cases being booked by the transport department, private bus operators in Salem continue to collect fares higher than the government-fixed rates from passengers. The issue has been reported on several routes in recent days, with passengers saying the additional fare is being collected without any official revision or prior intimation.
The practice began in some buses towards the end of July, following which the district administration intervened and instructed private operators not to collect fares beyond the approved rates without government permission. Despite the direction, passengers said several buses continue to collect additional amounts, leading to arguments between conductors and regular commuters who have been travelling on the same routes for years.
For instance, some private buses are collecting Rs 50 instead of the approved Rs 43 on the Salem-Erode route, while the collection on the Salem-Sankagiri route has increased from Rs 26 to Rs 30 and on the Salem-Attur route from Rs 36 to Rs 40.
Private bus operators, however, cited two reasons for the additional collection — a shortage of change due of which fares are being rounded off, and rising operating costs due to higher diesel prices. They pointed out that the last government-approved revision of fares for private stage carriage buses in Tamil Nadu was made in 2018, when diesel was around Rs 65 a litre, while it is now around Rs 100 a litre. Some private buses have also displayed notices asking passengers to understand the operators’ difficulties and pointing to the long gap since the last fare revision.
An RTO official from Salem West said more than 18 cases had been booked against private buses for collecting excess fares and that inspections would continue. “This is not a fare revision. Operators are collecting amounts higher than the approved fare. In several cases, the ticket continues to show the old fare while passengers are being charged more. Notices have been issued to private bus operators in this regard,” the official said.