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Pune RTO cracks the whip on private tourist buses for overcharging pax, flouting RTO norms
According to the information shared by the Pune RTO, a special drive has been initiated for checking tourist bus operations ahead of and during the festive season
In a crackdown on private tourist buses overcharging passengers headed to their villages and hometowns ahead of Diwali, the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has started checking all such buses across the city. The Pune RTO has also warned tourist bus operators against charging fares higher than those permitted by the state government.
According to the information shared by the Pune RTO, a special drive has been initiated for checking tourist bus operations ahead of and during the festive season wherein squads have been constituted for inspecting these buses. The drive comes following revelations that RTO norms are not being followed and that extra passengers are being ferried by tourist buses and most importantly, passengers are being fleeced. Hence, special squads have been formed to check the passenger seating capacity and the ticket fares charged by these buses.
Sanjeev Bhor, Pune regional transport officer, said, “There are clear and strict guidelines laid down by the state government that private tourist bus operators cannot increase their ticket rates more than one-and-a-half times those of normal MSRTC bus ticket fares. Our checking drive is going on across the city and till now, we have taken action against 50 buses in the last two days and issued challans to the bus owners.”
Bhor said, “One of the major reasons that bus operators are being fined is that they are overcharging passengers. Secondly, the buses are filled with passengers beyond their seating capacity. Our appeal to the public is to travel safely and if they face any issues related to hiked ticket fares, safety or overloading of passengers, they can register complaints with the RTO.”
Meanwhile, the MSRTC has also declared its list of increased fares as per the rules of the Motor Transport Act. There has been a heavy rush at ST and private bus stands across the city ahead of the festive season.
