Like every festive season, private bus operators continue to fleece passengers by charging exorbitant fares for long distance travellers.
For example, on Saturday, ticket prices ranged from ₹1,500 to ₹1,700 for travelling from Bengaluru to Mangaluru, while to Hyderabad, the fare was up to ₹2,500 to ₹2,700, whereas the Bengaluru to Belagavi price touched ₹3,500.
A few days ago, the Transport Minister and department officials had warned of taking stern action against private operators if they charged hefty fares. Officials of the department said that drives have been carried across the State against private bus operators charging exorbitant fares.
Additional Commissioner (enforcement) of Transport Department C. Mallikarjuna told The Hindu that in Bengaluru, 220 cases were booked against private bus operators for charging a hefty fare, violating permit norms and other reasons. “We have received over 20 complaints from the general public about the operators charging hefty fares. Our officials carried out drives at various locations. They also found out that contract carriage buses are violating permit norms and ferrying passengers,” said the official.
Transport Commissioner T.H.M. Kumar said, “Bus operators have maintained that when private airlines are allowed to charge dynamic pricing, why are private bus operators not allowed to do the same. There are no rules that allow private bus operators to charge dynamic pricing. During the festive season too, they should charge fares that are collected on normal days. Our officials are taking action by carrying out drives across the State.”
Passengers said that the department’s warning and action against the operators is not helpful, “Action against operators is of little use. Taking advantage of the situation, hapless passengers are fleeced during the festive season,” said Shiva Prakash, a passenger.
