Bengaluru is experiencing a big travel rush as residents head towards their hometowns ahead of a number of holidays. With families planning to travel outside the city, demand for buses, trains and other modes of transportation has increased significantly. However, the surge in demand has also raised complaints from passengers about high fares being charged by private bus operators.
Bengaluru residents are starting to leave the city for holidays, with many of them leaving the city to spend time with family members and relatives in their native city. The rush is more obvious at bus departure and transport hubs when they’re seen with luggage and waiting for their services.
The situation has become an all too familiar one when long weekends and consecutive holidays occur. Thousands of people working and studying in Bengaluru use such breaks to return to their hometowns in Karnataka and neighboring states. During these periods, cities and towns such as Mysuru, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Hassan, Hubballi, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Davanagere and other cities see more people.
Private buses are among the preferred choices for some passengers because they offer overnight services and direct connections to several destinations. But passengers have said ticket prices have risen sharply during the holiday rush. Ticket prices are being sold at much higher prices when demand is high and tickets are available at relatively low prices.
The fare problem has once again raised questions over dynamic or surge pricing by private bus operators during peak travel periods. Passengers say they are often left with little to no options when regular buses and trains are already booked. For people who have to get to their hometowns very soon, they must pay higher fares.
Families travelling with children and older members are the most affected. For many passengers, cancelling a planned journey is simply not possible given the fact that the holiday has been arranged well in advance. This allows private operators to charge more and more during times of high demand.
The rush is not limited to private buses. Government-operated buses and trains are often in high demand during big festivals and holidays too. Early bookings are often filled to the max and passengers are left looking for alternative modes of transportation. There are also cars and taxis that are in demand, and the traffic on highways leading out of Bengaluru is also very high.
Major roads connecting Bengaluru to other parts of Karnataka can be highly congested on holiday departures. Vehicles leaving the city generally increase during evening and night hours, especially on routes towards Mysuru, Tumakuru, Hassan, Mangaluru and other major destinations.
The sudden rise in intercity travel is also putting additional pressure on transport infrastructure. Bus terminals and major traffic congestion around major junctions might mean that people have to arrive much earlier than usual to avoid missing their buses, and then there is a backlog of people arriving at bus stops and getting stuck in the traffic.
In the case of travellers in Bengaluru over the holiday season, checking ticket prices across different operators and booking well in advance will reduce the cost. Passengers should also check the boarding point, cancellation policy and actual fare before booking their tickets.
Complaints over private bus fares have once again made commuters and passengers feel the pressure during peak travel season. Higher demand may naturally affect ticket availability, but travellers expect the operators to abide by the rules and not to raise prices and charges for their journey.
Bengaluru will also likely see the same travel patterns with more holidays and festivals coming up in the next weeks. For many of those who are in town, the holiday rush means returning home to spend time with their families. But for many of the passengers, the steep increase in private bus fares has turned what should be a leisurely journey into a high-cost one.
