Chennai, Sept 11 (PTI) Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, including the BJP, on Friday strongly condemned the steep hike in fares charged by private omni buses and airlines ahead of the festive weekend, demanding immediate government intervention to curb what they called “daylight robbery.” Besides the opposition parties, ruling TVK ally Congress also hit out at the festive fare hike.
The political backlash came amid reports that private transport operators were charging unprecedented rates from lakhs of passengers traveling from Chennai to their hometowns, exploiting the three-day continuous holiday.
BJP State Chief Spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy alleged that bus operators were cancelling previously booked, lower-priced tickets only to resell the exact same seats at three to four times the original price.
Calling it “daylight robbery” targeting those who cannot afford flights or trains, Thirupathy, in a X post, questioned Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s administration on its anti-corruption stance.
Noting that transport companies had recently praised the new government for eradicating permit-related bribery, Thirupathy questioned whether those old corrupt practices had returned at checkposts and in permit issuances.
The BJP demanded the state cap festive fares, restore cancelled bookings at original prices, and cancel the permits of offending operators.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) leader K Selvaperunthagai condemned the exploitation of the working and middle classes by both private bus operators and airlines.
Taking to X, Selvaperunthagai demanded the state government immediately impose a price cap for omni buses and revoke the licenses of violators.
The Congress leader also urged the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to immediately ban the practice of “dynamic fares” by private airlines during festive periods.
He called on both the state and central governments to operate additional government buses and special trains to ensure reasonable transit options.
PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss accused the TVK government of “failing” to issue even a token warning against the “unprecedented fare exploitation.” In a detailed ‘X’ post on September 10, Anbumani, citing open online booking data, highlighted that fares for Friday night departures from Chennai reached up to Rs 6,154 for Coimbatore, Rs 4,000 for Madurai, and Rs 3,999 to Tiruchirappalli.
For return journeys on September 14, passengers are being charged as high as Rs 4,899 from Madurai and Rs 4,799 from Coimbatore. Even for shorter routes like Kumbakonam, return fares have touched Rs 3,419, he pointed out.
“At these fares, a family of four travelling to Tiruchirappalli and back would have to spend up to Rs 34,000 on bus tickets alone. For more than 90 per cent of the people who wish to travel, this is more than their monthly income,” Anbumani stated.
Targeting the administration, the PMK leader alleged that private omni buses are now charging 20 to 50 per cent higher fares than they did during the previous DMK regime. “Is this the change that has come under the TVK Government?” he asked, criticising the state for ignoring repeated Madras High Court directives to constitute a fare-fixation committee. PTI JR JR ROH
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