Private bus operators fleece passengers as demand for intercity travel soars

Private bus operators in Mumbai are charging almost double the fares of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation for long-distance travel. Although operators are permitted to charge no more than 1.5 times the state-owned operator, fares are currently ranging from INR1,500 ($22) to INR2,500 for journeys that cost INR550 to INR850 on state buses. Demand for private buses is expected to increase as school and college vacations begin next week.

Mumbai: Private bus operators continue to fleece passengers by charging exorbitant fares for long-distance travellers.

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Private buses have become the favoured option for intercity travel due to the difficulty in obtaining confirmed long-distance train tickets. Though private bus operators are permitted to charge a maximum of 1.5 times the fares of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), they are charging almost twice the MSRTC fares.

While the average bus fare of the MSRTC buses ranges between ₹550 and ₹850, the private bus operators are charging anywhere between ₹1,500 and ₹2500 or more, depending on the demand for that route.

For instance, Mumbai-Aurangabad fare of private buses was around ₹1,700, Mumbai-Pune crossed ₹2,500, while Mumbai-Konkan was ₹1,600, earlier this weekend. On the other hand, the MSRTC fares ranged a lot less. Currently, there are around 1,800 odd private tourist buses operating from Mumbai, while the MSRTC has a fleet of around 12,000.

“I had to take a private bus along with my family as train tickets were not available. As it was a family gathering, we were forced to pay higher fares for the private AC bus,” said A Parab, who travelled to his hometown in Konkan after paying ₹1,500 per passenger.

When asked about the overcharging by private bus operators, state transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar said, “Our RTO officers are taking action against private bus operators from time to time on different parameters.”

Meanwhile, the demand for long-route buses is expected to surge further from next week as school and college vacations are set to begin. The demand is high for places which are comparatively cooler than Mumbai. Some of the preferred routes in the coming days from the city are to Tarkarli, Goa, Pune, Mahabaleshwar and Rajasthan etc. Air-conditioned buses and night travel are in demand in view of the heat.

A private bus operator and member of Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana said, “Currently, the demand is over 80% for our buses. We expect it to touch 100% by the next week as school and college results will be out and people would like to go on short vacations.”

“The government should do something about the taxes on AC buses, which are a lot higher than the state transport buses. Moreover, there are certain states where taxes have been subsidised to promote tourism which also helps us in reducing fares,” the bus operator added.

The private operators are also demanding that proper depots be created so that their staff can get rest and buses can be parked to reduce traffic on the road.