BENGALURU: After IndiGo’s mass cancellations triggered chaos for air travellers, private bus operators seized the moment, hiking fares to exorbitant levels following inflated flight fares.
Tickets from Bengaluru to Mumbai touched nearly ` 9,000, with steep spikes on routes to Ahmedabad and Pune, leaving stranded passengers with few affordable options as the crisis deepened.
According to Nataraj Sharma, President of the Karnataka Private Bus Owners’ Association, fares surged sharply after the cancellations, with operators charging four to eight times the usual rates.
“As of Saturday, anyone travelling to Mumbai or Pune is paying no less than `3,000, and prices are going up to nearly Rs 9,000,” he said. He condemned the practice, adding that on Friday, some out-of-state operators charged up to Rs 13,000 for a Bengaluru to Mumbai ticket, exploiting passengers desperate to find alternate transport. Shobhit Saurabh, cribbing about the cost he paid for a bus seat said, “I booked IndiGo flight for Rs 5,000, IndiGo cancels flight, and promises to refund with apologies. I booked a bus for Rs 8,000 to travel from Pune to Bengaluru.”
Kempegowda International Airport recorded 165 cancellations on Saturday alone, 86 arrivals and 79 departures, as the IndiGo disruption entered its fifth day. Although crowds eased slightly, hundreds of passengers remained stranded while waiting for their baggage.
The railways have stepped in to help stranded passengers in Bengaluru due to the IndiGo flight cancellations, as five special services have been introduced. South Western Railway (SWR), in coordination with Central, South Eastern and Southern Railway, has announced special trains between December 6 and 10 to assist thousands of passengers affected. Multiple services will operate on key routes including Bengaluru to Chennai, Yesvantpur to Hazrat Nizamuddin and Bengaluru to Pune.