Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Dec 24: Private bus operators have sprung a shock on people travelling to and from their native places for the Christmas festival, with a steep hike in ticket fares.

Due to the increase in ticket prices, ordinary passengers are being forced to pay higher fares for their journeys. People residing in distant places such as Bengaluru, Mysuru and other regions usually travel to their hometowns for Christmas. This year, with the festival falling on a Thursday and followed by the fourth Saturday and Sunday holidays within two days, many had planned to make use of the long weekend. Taking advantage of this situation, some private bus owners have suddenly raised ticket fares, drawing criticism from the public.

On normal days, seater bus ticket fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru start at Rs 475. At present, this has increased to Rs 800. For AC sleeper buses, the maximum fare has gone up to Rs 3,222. Other fares are listed at Rs 2,669, Rs 2,519 and Rs 2,400.

The hike in private bus fares during festivals and election periods is not new, and this practice has been followed for several years. Although transport ministers, the transport department and the police department have on several occasions issued warnings of strict action and even registered cases at times, it has been stated that it has not been possible to completely curb fare hikes.

Meanwhile, KSRTC fares for long-distance travel currently remain unchanged. Government buses follow two fare structures — special day fares and normal day fares. Passengers travelling on special buses are required to pay 10 per cent extra on ticket prices.