Return bus tickets to Chennai also saw a rise in fares
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Chennai: For the thousands of passengers who went on short breaks out of the city for the extended weekend, bus fares became a bitter pill. Cashing in on the rush, private inter-state bus operators hiked their fares by 25 to 30 per cent. Bus fares to Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram and Madurai rose by 25 to 30 per cent on Thursday as thousands of travellers, especially students and professionals, headed out of town. Adding to the last minute rush for the last three days, many had to postpone their journey and some even had to cancel it.
Volvo A/C sleeper bus tickets to Thiruvananthapuram, that normally cost Rs 1,500 on regular weekends, went up to Rs 1,950 on Thursday night. An A/C sleeper ticket that cost Rs 1,000 on regular Fridays went up to Rs 1,400 on Thursday, as there were last-minute demands for the tickets.
Hariharasuthan, an IT consultant from Madurai, had to postpone his journey to Friday, as he did not get a ticket on Thursday. “I had tried booking the ticket for the last one week, but I had to book for Friday morning and the rates this time around was exceptionally high compared to other holiday weekends,” he said.
Private bus operators meanwhile only said that these charges were unavoidable as the buses were being operated to fetch profits. “We cannot comment on this issue right now. If we look at the prices of fuel, and the fact that sometimes on weekdays, we are only half full and make losses… we too operate for profits, else we cannot run the services,” said the owner of a private bus service that operates between Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram. The return tickets to Chennai also saw a rise in fares at the end of the long weekend.
( Source : dc )
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