Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Oct 11: The KSRTC bus station in Mangaluru witnessed a large crowd on Thursday as people from outstation districts flocked to travel to their native places, taking advantage of a three-day holiday for the Dasara festivities.

People heading to destinations such as Bengaluru, Mysuru, and North Karnataka gathered at the bus station on Thursday afternoon. Currently, KSRTC is only operating regular route buses, with no special buses arranged for Dasara. However, additional buses will be deployed based on the crowd size.

Seats for buses on October 11, 12, and 13 were fully booked due to the Ayudha Pooja and Vijayadashami celebrations, with routes to Mysuru, Bengaluru, Hubballi, and Belagavi particularly affected. Some passengers had to travel standing. To accommodate the demand, 30 extra buses have been deployed on routes such as Bengaluru-Mysuru-Madikeri-Mangaluru and Bengaluru-Hassan-Mangaluru.

Private bus fares have doubled, leaving passengers arriving in Mangaluru from distant places paying hefty amounts. The fare for a Bengaluru-Mangaluru trip has soared to Rs 3,000. This hike in ticket prices by private operators during festive seasons has become a common practice, as seen during the Gauri Ganesha festival. With Dasara coinciding with the weekend this year, the number of people traveling from Bengaluru has surged, further contributing to the price increase.