BENGALURU: If you are planning to take an intercity bus from Bengaluru, be prepared to shell out a lot more than you usually would, thanks to a huge rush this weekend.
Citizens will have the luxury of a four-day holiday starting Friday, which is Varamahalakshmi Vratam. This is followed by second Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which is Independence Day.
One such traveller whose vacation plan went for a toss thanks to exorbitant ticket rates was Niju Abraham. A creative director from Koramangala, Abraham was planning to visit his hometown in Kochi but decided to cancel the trip when he was asked to pay double the ticket price. “The tickets which are usually not more than Rs 1,200 are now being priced at Rs 2,500,” he said.
Another citizen who was unable to travel to his hometown in Chennai was Arun Kumar, a techie from JP Nagar. “I was planing to go home but the bus ticket prices are sky high. Train tickets are unavailable too. It would be of great help if the railways introduced a special train.”
The Railways, however, have no plan to introduce any special train from the city to cater to the heavy rush this weekend, according to sources.
KSRTC will operate 1,000-1,200 special buses to Hyderabad, Kerala, Chennai and Belagavi among other places in addition to its regular services to accommodate the crowd. A release stated, “Passengers can book tickets online and through reservation counters of the corporation. They can also avail discounts for a group journey.”
Ticket prices for private buses to Kochi are as high as Rs 3,299, which is almost double the usual fare. Trains are wait listed up to 404 and flight fares start from Rs 9,389.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation had announced seven special services to the northern districts of the state and their tickets sold out like hot cakes.
Ticket prices for Hyderabad are also inflated. While private buses are charging up to Rs 2,500 for a ticket, trains have a wait list of up to 552. Flight fares start at Rs 4,500. Ticket prices for buses plying to Chennai cost as much as Rs 2,500 and trains have a wait list of up to 338.