Chennai: The DMK-led government recently announced free bus services for women and passed government orders, but to cover this additional costs, the state transport corporations had steeply doubled the minimum fare from Rs 5 to Rs 10. This is a contradictory act and will affect the public badly, OPS said seeking the intervention of Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Pointing out that the free bus service for women was DMK’s poll promise, OPS said that increase in minimum fare is an additional burden for men who are depending on public transport. Such tactical change in fare prices is not what the DMK said before polls, he added. Highlighting the issue, a RTI activist P Senthil Kumar said, “I boarded the Mofussil Express bus (582 Exp) which plies between Tiruvallur and Uthukottai at the starting point to get down at Pullarambakkam which is 5 km from district headquarters. The conductor collected Rs 10 minimum ticket fare. When I enquired with the conductor how come women passengers are allowed to travel free in the Mofussil express service bus, he said it was town bus service, but the minimum fare is Rs 10.”When contacted, a senior official of the TNSTC Villupuram, said that he would enquire into the allegations. “If women passengers were allowed to travel free it should be town bus for which minimum fare is Rs 5. We will check why Rs 10 is being collected as minimum charge,” he added.