TIRUCHY: Travel in omni buses is set to become costlier, with a section of operators increasing ticket fare by up to 20% citing the hike in diesel prices over the last two weeks. At least 4,500 omni buses currently operate in Tamil Nadu.
The Tamil Nadu Omni Bus Owners Association (TOBOA), one of the two largest associations in the state, said operators have been permitted to revise minimum fares depending on routes and operational costs. However, the upper fare limit fixed for festive seasons and peak travel periods would remain unchanged.
Mohammed A Afzal, president of TOBOA, said the association recently held discussions anticipating further fuel price hike. “We are forced to revise fares as diesel prices have increased from around Rs 93 to nearly Rs 100 per litre. We convened a meeting last week ago, where we told our members to increase fare by up to 20% depending on the route and travel category,” he said.
However, not all omni bus operators have revised fares yet. The All Omni Bus Owners Association (AOBOA) said it would wait before taking a decision. A. Anbalagan, president of the association, said “Though diesel prices have increased, we do not want to suddenly pass on the impact to passengers. We will wait and watch,” he said.
Suryakumar, owner of RPN Travels and president of the Tiruchy Omni Bus Owners Association, said fares on several routes had been revised while remaining within the prescribed limits. “For Chennai-Tiruchy services, operators were earlier charging around Rs 900 per passenger. Now, fares have increased to around Rs 1,150 -Rs 1,200 depending on whether it is a seater or sleeper bus,” he said.
A Mydeen, a member of the Madurai Omni Bus Owners Association, said the increase varied among operators. “For Chennai-Madurai routes, sleeper bus fares which were around Rs 1,400-Rs 1,600 have now increased by around Rs 100 to Rs 200 in many services. Not all operators have implemented a full 20% hike,” he said.
Commuters pointed out that the fare increase coincided with the end of summer holidays and there is a huge demand from students and workers returning to cities.
“Every time schools reopen or holidays end, omni bus fares increase suddenly. Now operators are citing diesel prices too, but passengers are left with very limited affordable options,” said Pradeep Chakravarthy, a commuter from Madurai .