Omni bus fares have shot up throughout South India as thousands of passengers are ready to travel home to have a Christmas week, and this has caused widespread complaints of being overcharged and a last-minute rush to get a ticket.
The operators have raised the price of tickets by a margin of 30 -120 per cent, depending on the route and the day of travel. The sharpest increases have been witnessed on roads with high demand that include Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh towns.
Customers Grapple with High-priced, Scanty Choice
For many travellers, getting a ticket before Christmas has become a logistical nightmare. The majority of overnight buses departing large metros between December 22 and 25 are sold out or cost considerably more than the usual prices.
Popular Chennai-Kerala routes, including Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kottayam, are charging fares of 3000-4500 per seat as opposed to the normal 1500-2000 fare. Fares have increased in Chennai from 929 to 2,800–3,200 on routes between Chennai and Madurai as well as between Chennai and Coimbatore, an increase of more than twice that of weekdays.
The same can be observed in Bengaluru, where the prices to Coimbatore, Kochi and Kozhikode are already reported to have exceeded 3,500, whereas the Bengaluru-Chennai fare has risen to exceed 1,800 compared to the normal 600-900.
Passengers complain that the expensive fares are compelling lots of them to alter their plans and sacrifice comfort or to travel by trains whose waiting lists are up to 200 in some directions.
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Drivers Quote petrol prices, demand takes off
On the increase, bus operators cite the increasing cost of diesel, seasonal demand and a shortage of seats. The spike is said to be a seasonal effect, and it is the household travelling around the Christmas and New Year periods.
Dealing with unpredictable operating margins and congested traffic at the year-end, transport associations claim that dynamic pricing is an imperative. They also observe that the unavailability of government buses in the Tamil Nadu-Kerala and Tamil Nadu-Karnataka corridors has driven additional travellers to the private services.
Nevertheless, the passenger rights organisations note that the diesel prices have not fluctuated much over the last few weeks, and wonder why the price has skyrocketed.
Transport Departments Monitor Price Gouging
In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, state transport authorities report tracking the fare data and the booking platforms to identify illegal overcharging.
According to the officials, the Motor Vehicles Act has pricing flexibility in contract carriage buses, and it is hard to enforce unless there is a case of safety violation or tax-related irregularities.
To ensure that private buses are not abused during festival seasons, passenger advocacy groups have requested clear rules on year-round pricing and seasonal pricing.
Delays in Long Traffic Expected in Major Highways
Chennai and Bengaluru traffic police are expecting the exit routes to be congested since Friday evening. More patrolling squads, towing and surveillance cameras are being implemented to control traffic on the GST Road, Tambaram, Walajahpet, Hosur Road and NICE Road.
The governments are encouraging long-distance travellers to prepare buffer time and at least avoid late-night departures as much as possible and keep pace with information provided by transport departments.
Festive Rush Far From Over
The price of tickets is not going to drop to lower levels before December 27 and is likely to experience a second wave around the beginning of the New Year. The operators indicate that the cancellation relief can be closer to Christmas Day, whereas availability will be limited on long routes.
Thousands of them are paying a little more than usual, however, and making their way home.
