Chandrapur RTO opens complaint lines against private buses charging above capped fares

Passengers in Chandrapur can now complain directly to the transport department if private travel bus operators charge more than the permitted fare. The number of people travelling by private bus rises in the festival season, and some operators are likely to charge arbitrary fares. To spare passengers the burden, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Chandrapur has begun a special inspection drive.

Regional Transport Officer Shyam Lohi has appealed to passengers to file a complaint with the RTO, Chandrapur, if they are asked to pay more than the maximum fare fixed by the government. Action will be taken against vehicle owners who violate the fixed rates.

When festival crowds build up, there is heavy demand for private buses heading to cities such as Pune, Nagpur, Amravati, Hyderabad, Yavatmal and Nashik. Some private operators exploit this situation and raise fares without reason. To check this, the government has fixed maximum fares for private contract-carriage passenger vehicles.

There is a background to how these rates were fixed. A public interest litigation, No. 149/2011, was filed in the Bombay High Court over fares of private contract-carriage passenger vehicles, and the court directed the government to fix the fares. Accordingly, the Maharashtra government fixed maximum fare rates through a Government Resolution dated April 27, 2018. The resolution provides that the fare of private contract vehicles must not exceed by more than 50 per cent the per-kilometre fare applicable on a comparable full bus of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.

Under the special drive, the RTO is checking the fares of private travel operators from time to time. Motor vehicle inspectors of the Vayuveg squad are meeting operators in person and instructing them to charge fares only as per the Government Resolution. If a vehicle is found to be charging above the maximum rate, strict action will be taken against its owner under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

So that passengers can easily learn the official fares, private travel companies running buses from Chandrapur to various cities have been told to prepare a route-wise fare chart and display it at the most prominent spot in their offices. The transport department has also made it clear that, in a competitive market, private operators should charge reasonable fares and give passengers good service.

There are two email addresses for complaints about overcharging: [email protected] and [email protected]. Complaints can also be sent to the WhatsApp number 7588473434.

Lohi has asked passengers to come forward and complain if arbitrary fares are charged. He has also appealed to all private travel operators to follow the government's fixed rates strictly.