Making moolah from festival rush: TGSRTC, pvt operators fleecing passengers

Hyderabad: One can understand if private bus operators charge extra fare – whatever be the amount – and run additional buses to cope with the rush of passengers during festival holidays and vacation period. Do passengers have a choice if even state-run buses charge extra fare as if in competition with private bus operators.

In view of the Bathukamma and Dasara festivals, thousands of people across the two Telugu states are traveling to their native places to enjoy the festival in all its traditional trappings along with family and loved ones. This they do despite the expected, but unmitigable travel chaos.

This year, exorbitant ticket prices are being charged by travel agents, including those catering to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC). The usually crowded bus terminals in Hyderabad such as MGBS, JBS and those at Uppal and LB Nagar are teeming with people.

Despite the increase in services, many passengers are still struggling to get tickets.

To accommodate the increased demand, TGSRTC officials have deployed an additional 7,754 buses till October 2. However, due to advanced bookings, most of these buses have already been reserved. Some commuters have raised concerns about inflated ticket prices on online booking platforms.

After the holidays were declared, since Sunday evening, the MGBS has been crowded with thousands of passengers rushing to catch their buses. The surrounding roads leading to the bus stand are congested, prompting officials to advise people to depart early to avoid missing their buses.

Balakrishna, a passenger at MGBS, said “Though there is an increase in the number of services, there is a huge influx of passengers. The state-run TGSRTC has also increased fares by Rs 300 or more for the festival season.”

Another passenger reported being charged Rs 330 for a trip between Uppal in Hyderabad and Thorrur in Mahabubabad district Rs 110 higher than the standard Rs 220 fare. When asked about the sudden 30 per cent hike, RTC staff reportedly said the corporation was permitted to charge extra during festivals.

Concerned commuters are questioning the state government's inaction in curbing these rising prices. Many individuals prefer to travel during the weekends, but with such exorbitant rates, it becomes a challenging prospect.

Meanwhile, private bus operators are fleecing passengers quite normally by charging them extra fare to take them to their destinations. The only consolation for RTC is that private bus operators have jacked up their fares far more than the state-run corporation RTC. Whatever it be, people do not have a choice. They need to purchase tickets at high prices or forgo festivities.

These fares collected by private bus operators are applicable if seats are available. In case there is more demand, they automatically raise the prices.

Passengers end up paying double the normal fare or even more. TGSRTC has also hiked its fare by 50 per cent for special services.

Many people have complained that there is no monitoring of the charges collected by private bus operators. They want the authorities concerned to intervene and ensure normal fares are charged.

An official at TGSRTC, citing Government Order No. 16 issued in 2003, explained that fare adjustments of up to 50 per cent over regular charges are permitted exclusively on special services. This is done to cover the minimum diesel expenses of buses returning empty after festival rush trips.