Pune private bus fares up to four times normal for Diwali despite RTO drive, passengers say

Passengers travelling to their home towns and villages for Diwali are paying heavily for private bus tickets. In many cases fares are about four times the normal rate. This comes even as the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has launched a special campaign against operators during Diwali.

Saurabh Kakaliya, who is travelling to Yavatmal, said: "Every year the fare is three to four times higher. I am going to Yavatmal on Thursday and have booked a ticket for Rs 4,500." Ankush Khole, who is travelling to Indore on November 5, said he booked his ticket a month earlier and paid Rs 5,000. According to him, the normal fare is between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,800, and it must have risen further by now.

Citizens allege that private operators and online booking platforms are showing misleading fares and charging far more than the prescribed limit. This has raised questions about the effect of the ongoing action.

Activist Prajakta Kulkarni said she went to the RTO, met Archana Gaikwad and submitted a complaint on October 23 about overcharging by private bus operators. According to Kulkarni, the RTO told her that notices had been sent to the operators by post. She asked why the action was delayed, when the fare problem had surfaced well before the festival rush grew. She said: "My question to the RTO is why this action is being taken by sending letters by post. When will the operator receive the notice and when will they reply? The RTO should have started action at least a month and a half earlier, because ticket prices were high even then."

Kulkarni claimed there is a big gap between the fares displayed on online platforms and the actual price shown during booking. Citing operators such as Raj Ratan Travel, Purple Travels and Verma Travels, she said tickets for November 5 were showing in the range of Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000. According to her, some app-based platforms show a fare of about Rs 4,500 on the home page, but the price goes above Rs 5,000 once the seat selection page is reached. She said demand for travel home is high at festival time, so passengers are left with few options.

Kulkarni also said the RTO called her on November 4 about her complaint. Officials reportedly told her that the department can fine travel operators who charge excess fares, but action against ticket booking apps falls under the cyber police. She also described an incident. After her complaint, a ticket seller linked to Prasanna Purple Travels offered her an Indore ticket for Rs 3,000. Kulkarni refused and asked how far it was right to give cheaper tickets only to those who complain, while other passengers keep paying high prices. Her main question is what relief fines on operators will bring to passengers who have already booked at the inflated prices. She has appealed to Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik to intervene.

Citizen Pranav Tompe said he too has complained to the RTO about excess fares but has had no reply so far on WhatsApp or email. His complaint includes a Sindh Radhe Travels ticket for a Pune-Yavatmal journey on November 6, 2026. He paid Rs 4,497 for an AC sleeper ticket. He demanded that officials check whether this fare complies with government rules.

Tompe cited the Maharashtra government order of April 27, 2018, issued under Section 67 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. According to it, private contract-carriage buses may charge only 1.5 times the fare of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). He put the MSRTC fare on this route at Rs 1,275 and calculated 1.5 times that as Rs 1,912.50. He acknowledged that this calculation is based on the ordinary service category, and asked the RTO to determine the applicable limit for an AC sleeper bus and then see whether the rule had been broken. He asked the department to verify the reference fare, examine the charges, begin action if a violation is proved, and direct the operator to refund the excess amount. He also sought a reference number for his complaint and details of the action taken.

Pune RTO officials said private contract-carriage buses cannot charge more than 1.5 times the MSRTC fare for the relevant category. They said: "Complaints of high fares generally rise at festival time as passenger demand increases. The special campaign was started on the directions of the Transport Commissioner." Inspection teams have been told to check both buses and booking offices, and to catch operators charging above the limit by examining online and offline tickets.

Assistant Regional Transport Officer Rahul Phasale acknowledged that operators are charging very high fares. He said: "But we cannot stop buses during inspections, because passengers heading to their destinations object to the disruption." Phasale said fines are being imposed and notices issued for breach of permit conditions. If the reply is unsatisfactory, the legal process to cancel the permit is started, which takes time. Operators are given three days to reply to a notice. He said: "For now we are warning them, imposing fines and issuing notices for violations." Regional Transport Officer Archana Gaikwad and Deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosale did not respond to phone calls.