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Private bus operators in Andhra Pradesh jack up fares ahead of Sankranti

While APSRTC has increased fares by 50 per cent, operators have hiked the fares to twice and thrice the normal levels

Tirupati: Cashing in on the Sankranti festival season, bus operators have jacked up the fares of buses plying on several routes connecting the temple city of Tirupati to various destinations in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

While APSRTC has increased fares by 50 per cent, operators have hiked the fares to twice and thrice the normal levels.

Deccan Chronicle found that AC sleeper and Volvo bus fares from Tirupati to Bengaluru had gone up to Rs 1,000-Rs 1,600 against the normal Rs 550-Rs 950 at ticket counters of private operators opposite the central bus station in Tirupati. The RTC is charging Rs 756 and Rs 600 for its services respectively.

Ravilla Tharun, a software employee who had come to purchase tickets on a private bus to Bengaluru on Monday, said the operators were advantage of travellers. Many others working in Chennai and Bengaluru who travel between Tirupati and their workplace during weekends, are finding it difficult to pay the excessive ticket fares but do not have any alternative.

A private bus ticket to Chennai has been raised from Rs 185 (non-AC)-Rs 385 (AC) to Rs 300 and Rs 500, an AC sleeper berth to Hyderabad costs Rs 2,000-Rs 2,200 Rs 1,300, AC Volvo Rs 1,600-Rs 1,800 against Rs 1,000-Rs 1,100, and non-AC bus fare has been hiked up to Rs 1,100 as against Rs 870.

The Vijayawada-Tirupati AC sleeper fare has gone up from Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,750.

When asked about the fare hike, an employee at a private bus ticket counter said that traffic on several routes is usually high in the festive season and tickets are costlier because of the high demand.

When the issue was taken to the notice of Tirupati RTO K. Seetharami Reddy, he said that they will take stern action if private operators are found collecting extra money. “The government has instructed us to keep a vigil on private operators who charge abnormal prices during the festival season. We will conduct special drives and will tale stern action against those found violating the norms”, he added.

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