Private Bus Ticket Fares Hiked For Sankranti

Hyderabad: With the Sankranti festival around the corner, private bus operators are allegedly taking advantage of the situation by sharply increasing fares. Tickets in trains and APSRTC buses from Hyderabad to cities such as Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Rajahmundry have already been sold out, forcing travellers to depend on private bus services.

The Transport and Railway departments have reportedly delayed announcing special buses and trains, creating further pressure on demand. The dates falling close to the festival period on January 9 and 10, has witnessed peak bookings and extreme fare spikes.

While APSRTC is levying additional festival charges capped at 50%, private bus operators are reportedly collecting two to three times higher fares.

The Telangana Transport Department is being criticised for its lack of action despite repeated complaints of fare manipulation. Following the recent accident involving a Hyderabad–Bengaluru private bus in Kurnool district, authorities carried out brief inspections focused on safety and fitness certificates. However, no sustained monitoring of fare regulations has been reported.

For the Hyderabad–Visakhapatnam route, the APSRTC fare is ₹1,889, while private bus operators are charging between ₹5,000 and ₹5,999 for a seater and up to ₹6,999 for a sleeper berth. For travel between Hyderabad and Rajamahendravaram, the APSRTC fare ranges from ₹1,032 for a super luxury service to ₹2,338 for a sleeper, whereas private buses are charging between ₹2,599 and ₹4,999 for seater tickets and around ₹5,999 for a sleeper.

Similarly, passengers traveling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada usually pay ₹440 in APSRTC buses, but private operators have fixed fares between ₹1,750 and ₹1,790 for a seater and between ₹3,500 and ₹5,999 for sleeper options. On the Hyderabad–Bengaluru route, an APSRTC sleeper ticket costs ₹1,203, while private bus fares range between ₹2,799 and ₹6,899 depending on the operator.

In several cases, air travel has become a cheaper alternative. For instance, the Hyderabad–Visakhapatnam flight ticket on January 8 is priced at approximately ₹6,157, which is lower than some private sleeper bus fares.

Passengers are urging authorities to step in immediately to cap pricing, increase APSRTC services, and release additional special trains to prevent exploitation during festival travel demand.

Further announcements from the Transport and Railway departments are awaited.