It’s festival season and private transport operators are flashing an ear-to-ear grin. And the worst part is that the commuters can’t do what they have been doing in the past -- ditching private operators and darting to the State-run AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) counters to book tickets for fare relief.
The State-run public transport giant also now follows a new policy of charging extra money during festivals and other special occasions.
This weekend dovetails with Dasara holidays for schools and colleges and transport operators are out to make a killing. “My two grown-up children have jobs in Hyderabad and Bangalore. They visit us whenever it is possible. But the rising fares, both in the APSRTC buses and the private services, have brought down the number of their visits.
These fare hikes are hidden financial burden which has started showing in their monthly budgets,” says an upset Kondala Rao, a retired teacher.
“We have pressed nearly 100 additional buses and as per our new policy, we will collect extra money for our special services during the festival season. On October 11 and 12, the Corporation will run 130 additional buses,” says P.V. Rama Rao, Regional Manager of the RTC.
People travelling in Express, Deluxe, Super Luxury, Garuda, Garuda Plus, Indra and Vennela buses of the RTC will be charged one-and-a-half times more than the normal fares during special occasions. “I usually opt for an A/C bus but since the tickets were booked much in advance, I was forced to take a non-AC bus paying double the fares. Try telling them it is unethical and they point a finger at the State-run transport sector saying when the Government transport can do it, why not us,” rues Spandana Tadimalla, a student who arrived in a city bus stop from Hyderabad.
Some of the private services have increased fares as high as three to four times of the actual rates.
“Jacking up of bus ticket prices is resulting in alteration in travel plans for many middle income families. The transport authorities must do something to check this,” says a desperate Gangadhar Rao, a teacher in a local government school.
