Going to celebrate Onam? Well wait you are about to witness a massive fare hike. Kerala is all decked up to celebrate its harvest festival Onam on Friday, 28th August.
For all Keralites who are residing in Bengaluru and other metros, it will be a grueling experience this time to return for ‘Onam Sadhya’ at hometown during the festive season as trains and state-run bus tickets are fully booked.
Alternatively, there are many seats available in private buses but the tickets are just double the actual fare as the private bus owners have just increased the rates keeping the festive season in mind.
Though Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) slashed ticket rates as Onam gift, it was offset immediately by private transporters who doubled the fare for the season.
The maximum rate of a ticket from Bengaluru to Kochi is at Rs 1208 for AC services in KSRTC but for private buses like Kallada, SPS, and ATLAS, the ticket ranges from Rs 2,000 to Rs.3,000. Even for Non AC services, they are charging Rs 1,500 as starting price per seat.
For a couple, the travel expense comes to around Rs 12,000 for a round-trip. However, many travellers are hoping that the KSRTC may announce some relief for passengers introducing more Onam Special Bus services.
Credits: Microfinancemonitor