Bus, air fares surge for long weekend

Private bus operators have increased their fares by up to 100 per cent for this long weekend.

Many operators are collecting a Rs 1,000 premium on their trips from Bengaluru to Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad and cities in Kerala, Metrolife found.

Similarly, some airlines have doubled their fares for Saturday, with only a marginal increase for Sunday. The fares return to normal on Monday.

Private operators like SRS Travels have increased their rates from Rs 945 to Rs 1,260 from Bengaluru to Kannur and Rs 1,365 to Chennai. The normal fares are between Rs 550 and Rs 750.

“Because of the three-day holiday, we have increased all fares by Rs 400. The prices applies from Friday night to Saturday, and return to normal on Sunday, when the holiday rush recedes,” says Kannan, who mans the booking counter.

KPN Travels is selling tickets from Bengaluru to Cochin for Rs 2,194 on Saturday. Bengaluru-Madurai fares are between Rs 1,650 and Rs 2,200.

A supervisor says fares go up by Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 when the demand is high.

Flights to Goa are running at Rs 12,000 per person on Saturday, August 31. “That’s for Indigo. The normal fare is Rs 4,000. A flight to the same destination at 6.30 am costs Rs 10,000 and at 9.15 pm costs Rs 5,000,” says an executive for Alpha Air Travel.

The normal fare from Bengaluru to Goa is Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000. “When there’s a festival, there is always an increase,” he says.

As we go to press on Friday, Air Asia is charging Rs 8,200 (3.35 pm) and Go Air Rs 6,500 (3.45 pm) for a Bengaluru-Goa ticket on Saturday.