Despite diktat, complaints of increased bus fare rampant

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: On the eve of Sankranti/Pongal, passengers had to shell out extra money for their tickets to return to their hometowns, despite booking agents claiming that they have not increased the prices. Neeraj K, a passenger, said that a trip on Saturday (Jan 11) to his hometown Salem in TN costs Rs 1800. Off season, a ticket on a AC sleeper bus costs around Rs 1200. “We are paying for the whole route (Coimbatore, here) rather than our destination, which would’ve made the ticket cheaper.

However, travel agencies have contested that they have adhered to routine ticket prices, contrary to jacking them up. A travel agency based in Madiwala claimed that a ticket from the city to Coimbatore in TN is costed at its regular price. This might be an effect of the Karnataka Government’s effort to crack down on those charging exorbitant prices. The Transport Department launched an helpline number with which citizens acan flag such instances, which may reportedly lead to license cancellation or revoking their registrations as bus operators.