Sankranti Rush Pushes Up Private Bus Fares on Interstate Routes
The harvest festival usually triggers large-scale movement from cities to towns and villages across the state.
Tirupati: With the Sankranti season setting in, private bus fares on several routes linking Andhra Pradesh with its neighbouring states have risen sharply, adding to the strain on passengers heading home for the festival.
The harvest festival usually triggers large-scale movement from cities to towns and villages across the state. Most long-distance train tickets were sold out weeks in advance, leaving many travellers with little choice but to depend on buses for long-haul journeys.
While the APSRTC has been operating special services without hiking the fares, private operators have increased their charges on routes having heavy demand.
Governmental intervention to help the passengers facing similar situations during every Sankranti season, with additional services, is to the minimum.
The Hyderabad–Vijayawada route, among the busiest during Sankranti, has seen some of the steepest hikes. Non-AC seater fares, which generally hover around Rs.400-Rs.600, have climbed to about Rs.1,300. AC seater tickets have nearly tripled to around Rs. 1,999, while non-AC sleeper fares have gone up from about Rs.700 to nearly Rs.3,000.
AC sleeper berths, normally priced below Rs. 900, are being sold for as high as Rs. 4000 on peak travel days.
Similar trends are visible on other major corridors. On the Chennai–Vijayawada route, AC seater fares have crossed Rs.2,400, compared to the usual Rs. 800 to Rs.1,000. AC sleeper tickets, which normally cost under Rs.2,000, are now priced at Rs.4,500 and above, with some services touching nearly Rs.5,300.
Between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, passengers are paying close to Rs.2,000 against regular fares ranging from Rs.760 to Rs.1,200.
Fares have also risen sharply on routes to Tirupati. Travel from Hyderabad to Tirupati in an AC sleeper bus now costs around Rs. 2,000- Rs. 2400, compared to the usual Rs.1,100- Rs.1,500.
On the Bengaluru–Tirupati route, prices range between Rs.1,500 and Rs.3,000. “I booked my ticket on Wednesday and ended up paying almost double the normal fare. With no train tickets available, there was no option but to go for a private bus,” said Dharmavaram Pradeep Kumar, a software professional travelling from Bengaluru to Tirupati to spend Sankranti with his parents.
On the Chennai–Tirupati route, fares vary from Rs.500 to over Rs.1,000 depending on the coach type, while RTC fares on the same sector remain below Rs.300. Despite the steep prices, private buses continue to operate with high occupancy due to the shortage of seats in trains and state-run services.
A transport department official told the Deccan Chronicle that inspections would be intensified during the festival rush. “We have asked the enforcement teams to keep a close watch on private operators. Action will be taken against those charging beyond permitted limits or operating without valid permits and fitness certificates,” he claimed.
