Even as the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) called off their strike, private bus operators seized the opportunity to significantly raise fares on Wednesday, taking advantage of the desperate demand from travellers heading home for the Ganpati festival starting Saturday.
Sameer Kamble, a passenger, said, “I had booked tickets for my family to travel from Pune to Sambhajinagar to celebrate with family and friends. Now, our plans are in disarray.”
Booking tickets with private operators at such short notice is challenging. “They are charging exorbitant fares. We were quoted ₹1,200 per ticket for the Pune to Sambhajinagar route which is more than double,” Kamble said.
Vineet Kulkarni, who planned his first post-wedding visit to his in-laws in Belgaon, expressed frustration: “When we went to the Swargate ST stand, there were no buses available for Belgaon. Private bus fares were shockingly high—over ₹2,000 per seat on the Goa and Konkan routes.”
Private bus operators increased fares on routes to Nagpur, Amravati, and Madhya Pradesh.
“Ticket prices for a sleeper coach from Pune to Nagpur are between ₹1,500 and ₹2,000. As the Ganpati festival approaches, these fares could exceed ₹3,000. Similarly, seating coach fares, currently at ₹800 to ₹1,200, are expected to double during peak festival season, with some reaching above ₹4,000,” said Mangesh Zende, owner-manager of Shivshakti Travels in Pune.
{{/usCountry}}“Ticket prices for a sleeper coach from Pune to Nagpur are between ₹1,500 and ₹2,000. As the Ganpati festival approaches, these fares could exceed ₹3,000. Similarly, seating coach fares, currently at ₹800 to ₹1,200, are expected to double during peak festival season, with some reaching above ₹4,000,” said Mangesh Zende, owner-manager of Shivshakti Travels in Pune.
{{/usCountry}}At Swargate bus stand, private bus operators and their representatives were openly seen poaching desperate passengers with higher fares.
“I need to reach Kolhapur today and the private bus operator is asking me to pay ₹ 600, which is higher,” said Swati Sharma.
She said with the MSRTC strike continuing, passengers are left with limited options and rising costs, exacerbating the challenges of travelling during one of the busiest times of the year.