KOCHI: Come the festival season, a major issue the huge number of Keralites living in other states face is affordable transportation to visit their home state for holidays. The situation is no different this Onam. Malayalis, especially those in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, are running from pillar to post to get reservations on buses and trains. While regular trains are fully booked, interstate buses have become largely unaffordable since operators have hiked fares steeply.
Adding to the travellers’ frustration is the fact that the ticket rates are not fixed, as the government has allowed operators to apply surge charges as per demand and supply. As a result, Malayalis are being forced to shell out two to four times more money than usual. The price of interstate bus tickets, as per the charts displayed on online booking sites, has shown a steady rise since August 12. While the fares fluctuate around Rs 1,800 for buses from Bengaluru to Ernakulam during weekdays, they jump to around Rs 5,000 on weekends, especially when preceded or succeeded by a holiday.
From August 21, a week before Onam, ticket prices of buses operating from major cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai are showing a steep rise, with some operators charging over Rs 4,500 for a seat. The trend continues until after Thiruvonam. However, bus operators have refuted allegations of deliberately hiking fares to fleece passengers and rake in moolah during the festive season.
“Many factors play a role in determining ticket rates,” said Manoj Padikkal, a member of the Interstate Bus Operators’ Association, Kerala. Manoj said operators are forced to hike fares during holidays and weekends to break even the deficit they suffer during weekdays. “It is based on the demand-supply ratio. The demand is very low during weekdays but high during weekends. Though airlines do the same, none bother to point it out as the firms, unlike us, have the government’s backing. It is us who are actually being fleeced. Not only the Centre, but even the state government taxes operators,” Manoj said.
Occupancy of buses travelling from Kerala to outside destinations is another factor that affects fares. “Though the carriages come to Kerala entirely full, they leave with just 20 per cent occupancy. However, the running cost stays the same,” Manoj said. Then there is the trend among operators to sell the last few seats at a higher rate.
However, while private interstate buses increase the rates, the KSRTC has pressed into service 27 more buses to Bengaluru and six buses to Chennai to meet the Onam rush. A KSRTC official said the buses are in addition to the 47 services currently being operated to and from Bengaluru. “The rates are the same for the special services, which will run from August 21 to September 5,” said the official.
Seats available in special trains for now
Following the demand for special trains to cope with the Onam rush, the Railways allotted six special trains to Kerala. A railway spokesperson said, “The six special trains are: Ernakulam-Chennai, Tambaram-Mangaluru, Kochuveli-Bengaluru, Nagercoil-Tambaram and Nagercoil-Panvel. Nagercoil-Panvel is fully booked. Services of the Ernakulam-Velankanni special have been extended till September 23. However, the train is fully booked on August 19 and 26, and September 2,” said the spokesperson.
Karnataka announces 32 special buses
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has announced 32 special services from Bengaluru to various destinations in Kerala. Twenty-two of the special services will be operated on August 25. The special services to destinations such as Alappuzha, Munnar, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kannur were announced after the usual services from August 23 to 27 were fully booked. A special service will also be run in the Mysuru-Ernakulam section. The Karnataka RTC will charge up to 30% extra based on demand.