THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The hike in the bus fares that came into effect from Tuesday has dealt a major blow to the common man, who is already hit by the rising prices of all essential commodities. Most of the frequent travellers are finding it hard to balance their domestic budgets following the bus fare hike.
Binu S from Neyyattinkara, who sells lottery tickets near the bus stand at Thampanoor, was very much worried about how to adjust his family budget as he might have to shell out a major part of his earning for travelling. ‘’I have to spend at least Rs 50 for travel out of a day’s earning of Rs 350, which is very hard for a man like me,’’ he said.
Complaining about the frequent price hikes, Geetha, an employee of the District Cooperative Bank said: ‘’It is not just the bus fares that have been been hiked but the prices of essential commodities and vegetables and everything else have seen a considerable increase.’’
Sixty-five-year old Thulasi, who runs a small shop near the Thampanoor bus stand, also voiced her concern over the fare hike. “It is so frightening that the ticket fares have been hiked, making life more miserable for people like us. The petrol and diesel prices may come down or go high but the government should not forget its duty and obligation towards the common man,’’ she said.
For Jyothi Balachandran, a teacher at RBM UPS, Punaloor, the fare hike was really a big blow but wanted the government to provide more facilities.
‘’The bus fares are hiked frequently but the authorities never care to provide better facilities,’’ he said.
Some of the passengers, who were unaware of the sudden change in the fares, were quite surprised when they were charged much higher than the usual fare. Shaji Kumar, a conductor from Kallara, said that the passengers were a bit shocked when they saw tickets with new fares.