Passengers planning to travel during summer holidays are irked with exorbitant fares of private bus operators as compared to the charges during regular days.
Many passengers have complained that the seats of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses for long distances are presently full, due to which many passengers are being forced to pay extra to private bus operators.
For travelling to places like Nagpur, the fares charged by private bus operators is close to Rs 2,000, while normally it is around Rs 1,000, said passengers. For Ratnagiri too the private bus operators charge close to Rs 900, when otherwise the fare is around Rs 400.
Speaking about the issue, Suryakant Pathak of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, said, “Passengers faced the issue of hike in fares by private operators during Diwali last year. MSRTC employees, too, had gone on strike around that time. Passengers faced a lot of inconvenience due to hike in fares and continue to face the same during all holiday seasons.”
He added that the MSRTC must ensure better service and extra buses so that private buses do not get undue attention.
Shaila Shah, a passenger, said, “We wanted to travel to the Konkan region for summer vacations, but private buses had expensive fares, double of what they charged during regular days. However, with no convenient trains from Pune and most MSRTC buses running full, we had no option, but to pay extra even as the private bus operators provided bad service.”
{{/usCountry}}Shaila Shah, a passenger, said, “We wanted to travel to the Konkan region for summer vacations, but private buses had expensive fares, double of what they charged during regular days. However, with no convenient trains from Pune and most MSRTC buses running full, we had no option, but to pay extra even as the private bus operators provided bad service.”
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From Pune - Nagpur- normal fare- Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200- present fare- Rs 2,000
Pune- Kolhapur-normal fare-Rs 450-present fare- Rs 900
Pune-Ratnagiri- normal rates-Rs 400- 450-present rates- Rs 900-950
Pune- Solapur- normal rates- Rs 350-present rates -Rs 800
Pune-Aurangabad- normal fare- Rs 300-350-present rates- Rs 700