Private bus fares to home towns double for Diwali, with some AC sleeper tickets at Rs 5,000

Schools have closed for Diwali and most working people are heading to their home towns. Demand for buses to Nanded, Kolhapur, Indore and other cities has risen, and ticket prices have gone up with it. Private bus operators are squeezing the pockets of passengers preparing to travel home.

With confirmed railway tickets hard to get and passenger numbers rising during the festival, bus operators are charging fares at will. A journey that normally costs Rs 900 to Rs 1,100 now costs Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,200 during Diwali. On some routes, the fare for an AC sleeper bus has gone as high as Rs 5,000. The Regional Transport Office (RTO) has warned operators not to charge more than the fixed limit and has also taken action, but passengers do not appear to have been given relief.

Working people, students and workers employed in other cities have little option but to buy expensive tickets to travel home for the festival. They face the same problem on the return journey.

An example from the Pune-Indore route shows the extent of the increase. Deepak Sen, originally from Indore, works as a marketing executive with a crush iron company in Pune. He goes home every two to three months. This Diwali he had to book a non-AC private bus ticket for Rs 1,900. On ordinary days the fare for the same journey is Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,100. According to Sen, bus fares are reasonable on ordinary days, but during festivals such as Holi and Diwali, passengers often have to pay double.

The Pune RTO is running a special inspection drive from October 23 to November 20. In the last few days, RTO flying squads have inspected about 250 private buses. Penal action has been taken against 20 operators for violating rules.

Swapnil Bhosale, Pune's Deputy Regional Transport Officer, said private bus operators have been repeatedly instructed not to charge more than the prescribed fares. He added that a meeting with them will be held again soon and the necessary directions given.

In short, tickets that cost Rs 900 to Rs 1,100 on ordinary days have risen to Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,200 for Diwali, while on some routes AC sleeper fares have reached Rs 5,000. Although inspections and action are under way, passengers are still paying more in the festival rush.