Private bus ticket prices see three-fold increase as long Dasara weekend begins

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The festival of Dasara is a significant one for the people in Karnataka. However, it is the time when the private bus operators attempt to cash in on the situation despite being warned not to do so by the state transport authorities on multiple occasions.

A long weekend starting from Saturday, and people who are keen on travelling back to hometowns and tourist spots, were in for a shock as ticket prices for inter-state and inter-district bus travel have seen a two, and some cases, three fold increase.

Neeraj K, a second year student hailing from Salem, lamented that the prices have increased by 35 percent. "Usually ticket rates come around Rs.800-900, but during Navratri and Diwali, the prices skyrocket," he said.

His trip on Saturday will cost him Rs1,260 and the return trip at Rs1,365. "The prices were bound to increase," he added while waiting for his bus near Dairy Circle on Sunday.

Mysuru, the city which is renowned for Dasara festival often attracts both natives and visitors from various parts of the country and even foreigners. However a few private multi-axle buses are reportedly charging exorbitant rates, as high as Rs 3,500, for a trip from Bengaluru to Mysuru.

The price, which was at Rs1,500 on Sunday, has gone up to Rs 3,800 on travel websites. According to sources, passengers will have to shell out around Rs1,400 for a trip to Shivamogga, Rs 2,000 for Hubli, Rs1,900 for Udupi, Rs 2,100 for Dharwad and Belagavi, Rs 1,650 for Davanagere, Rs 1,500 for Chikkamagaluru and Rs 1,850 for Hassan.

The ticket prices increased to almost 200 percent in just a week. For passengers travelling to other states from the city, the private buses are charging Rs 2,100 for a trip to Chennai, Rs 3,300 for a trip to Hyderabad, Rs 2,800 to Coimbatore, Rs 2,700 to Mumbai, Rs 3100 to Goa and Rs 3,500 to Ernakulam, which are almost two fold than normal rates.

However the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has added more buses to its fleet during the festival season which the passengers can opt for while travelling inter-district and inter-state.