For Laxman Vanpat, it was a great relief to reach to Nagpur by a private bus on Sunday.
“I had applied twice for the e-pass, but it got rejected. When I got to know that tourist buses do not require e-passes I immediately booked a ticket., said Vanpat, who had to go to Nagpur for a family emergency.
As the lockdown continues in the state, people wanting to travel inter-district now prefer the private buses route, as no e-pass is required.
In Pune, at the four main exit roads from the city, there has been rush of passengers to board these private buses. This includes Ahmednagar road towards Aurangabad and Nagpur; at the Katraj chowk towards Kolhapur and Karnataka; at Hadpsar, going towards Solapur; and at the Nashik phata going towards Nashik.
Another passenger Kalyani Gunde said, “Though there is a strict lockdown in the state I wanted to go for a wedding of my cousin to Kolhapur. As our pass got rejected, we booked a tourist bus ticket at a higher rate and travelled to Kolhapur.”
The ticket fares of private buses have increased in the last one month by at least 40 per cent. Earlier, a ticket for Pune to Nagpur which was around ₹1,500 to ₹1,800, is now ₹2,500.
Similarly, on the Kolhapur route, earlier a ticket fare was ₹800. It has now increased to ₹1,200 to ₹1,500.
{{/usCountry}}Similarly, on the Kolhapur route, earlier a ticket fare was ₹800. It has now increased to ₹1,200 to ₹1,500.
{{/usCountry}}Santosh Deshmukh, owner of Samarth travel agency, said, “Our buses mostly run Pune to Nashik and Pune to Aurangabad. We are getting a good response in last couple of months. Passengers prefer to travel by private bus as there is no e-pass required. Also, we are taking all necessary safety precautions inside the bus. After every trip the entire bus is sanitised.”