Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Apr 23: Private bus operators have hiked fares by four times just four days before and after the Lok Sabha elections, causing hardship for people commuting to vote, especially those working in distant places.

Residents of coastal districts, who often travel to places like Mysuru and Bengaluru for work, typically return to their hometowns during elections. With a series of holidays this time around, including Election Day on Friday, a holiday on Saturday (the fourth Saturday of the month), the usual Sunday off, and some planning to extend their stay for three more days to enjoy Labour Day on May 1, private bus operators are taking advantage of the situation.

The ticket prices from Bengaluru to Mangaluru, Udupi, and Kundapur, usually Rs. 800, have skyrocketed to Rs. 2600 for Sunday, April 28. Even fares for April 25, the day before polling, have surged fourfold, with most buses already booked in advance.

For an AC sleeper from Bengaluru to Mangaluru, the fare on April 25 has soared to Rs 2600, and for a non-AC sleeper, it is Rs 1900. On April 28, the return journey from Mangaluru, the fare is fixed at Rs 2450 for AC sleeper and Rs 2300 for non-AC sleeper.

KSRTC officials state that they do not increase fares, except if additional buses are deployed on weekends to cope with demand, in which case the ticket price may increase by just 20%. Weekday fares remain unchanged.

Tickets are also selling out on KSRTC buses, prompting the addition of buses for election duty, particularly to Kundapur, Udupi, Mangaluru, and Dharmasthala from Bengaluru. Kundapur alone has seven buses allocated for advance booking, with a total of 15 additional buses arranged. Similarly, 50 additional buses have been organized for Udupi and Mangaluru.

Two prominent political parties have organized transportation for voters from Bengaluru to various constituencies in coastal districts to ensure they can cast their votes.

The Election Commission (EC) has been informed of the exorbitant fare hikes through a video conference. The EC has written to the Karnataka transport department to take corrective action, but as of now, no action has been observed. Udupi deputy commissioner Dr Vidyakumari has stated that additional buses will be arranged through KSRTC.