Mumbai, Private tourist bus operators are charging two to three times the usual rates ahead of Diwali, passengers have alleged, with tickets on some routes reportedly costing as much as ₹ 7,000.
Some passengers have taken to social media to criticise Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik and his department for the alleged failure to regulate fares. “Are there no regulations whatsoever on private bus ticket prices? What are people who book at the last minute supposed to do? Operators are also required to display fare charts inside their vehicles.
Fares have reached ₹ 6,000-7,000, almost the same as flight tickets. RTO officers said that private buses cannot charge more than 1.5 times the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation fare for the corresponding category of buses. Passengers can lodge complaints about excess fares through the RTO’s helpline 1800-22-0110 by sharing the bus details and photographs of their tickets, officials said.
Celebrate Diwali in their paying guest accommodation?” an X user said. Another ‘X’ user asked whether the minister was “asleep or pretending to be”. Action will be taken against operators found charging excess fares, they said.
