Special drives carried out by the Transport Department to curb skyrocketing bus fares during festive seasons have not made any impact in the past.
Story so far: This Deepavali season, hiked bus fares are burning a hole in the pockets of people travelling long distances. Bengaluru-Mangaluru bus fares have been pushed to ₹2,000 on online booking sites. Travelling to Hyderabad from the city will now cost ₹3,500. The fares are double the normal prices.
- During the last festive season, transport department officials booked over 1,000 cases while conducting an enforcement drive across Karnataka.
- Passengers claim that these drives did not have an impact as private operators continued to charge exorbitant fares.
What private operators say: Private operators have argued that the Karnataka government is discriminatory as they target only private bus operators. They also state that hikes are carried out during the festive season to meet the operational costs. While the transport department allows state-run bus corporations to charge flexible fares, private operators are targeted for charging more.