Private bus operators cash in on T-stir

The fare per seat for non-AC private buses to Hyderabad has gone up to Rs 550 from Rs 350 and a ticket in AC buses, which were originally Rs 850, is now sold at Rs 1,200.

Passengers have had to go through a harrowing time after arriving at Kempegowda Bus Station, only to be told their buses have been cancelled.

The KSRTC, however, still continues to issue tickets through its website and ticketing counters.

Chandrashekhar, head of a telecom firm, had booked three seats online on a Volvo AC bus scheduled to depart Kempegowda Bus Station at 9 pm on Saturday.

“On reaching the bus stand along with my wife and daughter, I was shocked to find that there were no buses to Hyderabad,” he told Deccan Herald.

Platform 9 and 10 at the Kempegowda bus station, from where buses to Hyderabad depart, wore a deserted look. Agents of private buses were hounding stranded passengers, touting tickets to Hyderabad in private buses.

Chandrashekar had to move from place to place in the surroundings of Kempegowda bus stand for over an hour before he and his family got seats in a private AC Volvo bus for Rs 1,300 a seat.

Over the last few days, the rates are  subject to bargaining, has gone up by almost 40 per cent.

KSRTC Chief Traffic Manager K A Rajkumar said the KSRTC’s move followed that of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) which has cancelled a majority of its bus services.

“We have not stopped issuing tickets because we don’t know when the services will restart.  As soon as we get information from APSRTC that they have started services, we will do likewise.”

He claimed that people are aware of the problem and will themselves opt for other services.