Exploiting the urgency of people travelling to their native places and back for the Pongal holidays, private bus operators are collecting unreasonably high fare for journey between popular sectors such as Madurai-Chennai-Madurai and Madurai- Bengaluru-Madurai.
S. Sasikumar of Selvam Travels said the incoming crowd had started swelling since Friday. There would be a return surge on Sunday, January 20, when all the people would return to their workplaces or educational institutions en masse.
Bus operators from Madurai Omni Bus Terminus said online fare for Chennai and Bengaluru had reached a base price of ₹1,400 for air-conditioned sleeper and ₹600 to ₹1,000 for non-AC sleeper on Sunday night. The normal rate ranges between ₹ 600 to ₹ 800.
K. Thangam, a resident of Chennai, who is heading back home for the holidays, said, “I booked my ticket from Madurai for the night before Pongal and the rate was not high. But the return fare was expensive.”
Mr. Sasikumar said, “We hardly make any money during weekdays. It is a very competitive field. Festivals are the only time we are able to make some money.”
The scenario is not much different with the government buses. A seat from Madurai to Chennai costs ₹465 for non-AC and ₹975 for AC sleeper of the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC).
A transport official said the total price of a ticket for an AC sleeper would be around ₹ 1,000, including tax. Forty additional buses had been inducted on the Madurai-Chennai route and six new buses for the Bengaluru sector, and they were all running full, he said.