BENGALURU: With Deepavali round the corner and trains running full, private bus operators are making a killing. With one-way travel from Bengaluru to other southern cities in an A/C bus now costing anywhere between Rs. 1,800 and Rs. 4,100, long-distance passengers are left in the lurch.
The State transport department is reluctant to fix private bus fares and, in the absence of a regulatory body, the private bus lobby is having a field day. While bus operators claim that increased fares during festival time is the only way they make up for lean days through the rest of the year, commuters are a harried lot.
“It’s the same story every year. There have been no efforts to rein in such errant bus operators who are making use of the festival season as an opportunity to fleece long-distance passengers,” said Edwin Thomas, who booked a bus ticket to Kochi for Rs. 3,000.
Express found that there is no uniformity or cap in the bus fares irrespective of the distance. For instance, A/C buses from Bengaluru are charging up to Rs. 4,100 per ticket to Belagavi on October 28, the Friday before Deepavali, compared to Rs. 2,500 per ticket which is the maximum fare on normal weekdays. It was also seen that bus fares from Bengaluru to places like Goa, Kochi, Hyderabad and Coimbatore continue be high because of the huge demand. However, maximum A/C bus fare to Chennai remains Rs. 2,100 throughout all seasons.
Sources say private bus fares will increase further as the festival draws closer. “We are unable to take any action because of the absence of legislation to regulate bus fares. We will take action if there are any specific complaints,” a senior transport department official said.
A spokesperson for a private bus operator operating between Bengaluru and Kochi says: “We are charging more mainly for last-minute bookings just like how private airlines do. We are getting adequate passengers only during the weekends and the festival season and most buses are almost empty during weekdays. Most private bus operators are under loss due to increasing operational costs.”
“The fares will come down if the state government provides permits for sleeper-berth class buses,” the spokesperson said. There are also several online petitions on Change.org to regulate bus fares. However, the government has not taken any steps to regulate private bus operators.
“We are not against a small increase in the bus fare, but most operators have almost doubled the fare because of the huge demand, which is unfair,” said K Venugopal, who wants to go to Mangaluru to celebrate Diwali with his family.
In Tamil Nadu, for instance, All Omni Bus Owners and Operators Association has fixed ticket fares. A majority of bus operators affiliated to the organisation follow these rates. However, there is no such mechanism in Karnataka so far.