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Private bus fares skyrocket ahead of Diwali; Pune RTO forms special squads
While Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has issued a strict warning to all tourist bus operators, several people have complained of exorbitant fares by private bus operators
The Diwali festival is just around the corner and there is a significant influx of people travelling from Pune by buses and trains. Amid the rush, private agents are selling train tickets to passengers illegally, while private bus operators are demanding exorbitant fares.
While Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has issued a strict warning to all tourist bus operators, several people have complained of exorbitant fares by private bus operators.
“Yesterday, when I went to book tickets for Nagpur from Pune at a private tourist bus operator counter, they were charging ₹3,500 per ticket. I wanted to book four tickets for my family, but now we have cancelled the plans as it is way out of our budget,” said Santosh Mane, a citizen.
As per the Pune RTO, they have formed squads and started a special drive to check such tourist bus operations.
It was found that the norms were not followed, and extra passengers were taken in the bus than its actual capacity, and the major complaint was regarding the overcharging issue, which was raised by most of the passengers, said RTO officials.
“The state transport department has given instructions and strict guidelines to the private tourist bus operators; they cannot increase their ticket rates more than 1.5-fold time compared to normal Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus ticket bus fares. We have also started a drive to check such illegal practices,” said Swapnil Bhosale, deputy regional transport officer at Pune RTO.
Meanwhile, there is also a heavy rush of passengers at the Pune railway station travelling to various parts of the country by special trains. It is noticed that the private illegal agents are also selling railway tickets to passengers at higher prices.
“We have got two tickets for Bhopal from an agent for ₹2,000 per ticket as there was heavy rush for trains. Normal ticket is around ₹750,” said Meenakshi Kalare, a passenger.
