Amidst charges that mini bus operators are charging excessive passenger fares and have unilaterally raised ticket prices, the Regional Transport Officer has instructed transport department inspectors to launch a crackdown on the bus operators.
According to transport department officials, the crackdown has been taking place on the operators for over two weeks, with officials imposing fine on more than 25 operators and seizing five buses in Coonoor and Udhagamandalam. The officials said that the action against the operators would intensify over the coming weeks.
However, despite the action initiated by the transport department, consumer rights activists have said that the practice was still continuing.
S Manogaran, President of the Coonoor Consumer Protection Association, said that not enough was being done to curb the practice. “The mini buses are extremely important as the services are the only means of public transport for many villages inaccessible by any other means,” he said.
The association is planning on filing a complaint with the consumer court, said Manogaran.
S Sakthivel, a regular commuter who uses a mini bus to travel from Coonoor to Udhagamandalam, said that prices have been hiked by anywhere between ₹1 to ₹ 4. “When I inquire with the bus conductors, they ask me to get in touch with the bus owner,” he said.
S Sivasubramaniam, President of the Gudalur Consumer Protection Centre, said that operators should prominently display the fares on their buses, as well as the contact details of the driver, conductor and owner of the bus to ensure transparency.
