Sankranti Rush : Bus Ticket @ Rs 6000!

Sankranti is the mother of all festivals in Telugu states. Lakhs of people from Hyderabad travel to Andhra Pradesh to celebrate this four day festival with their families every year. Public transport witnesses mad rush as people commute to their native places from the start of second week. Like every year, this Sankranti will witness a heavy influx of people into AP during the festival season.

Exploiting the demand for travel, private bus agencies fleece public by overcharging fares of tickets. As train tickets were sold out three months ago, public now seeking journeys through buses. Even as the government of Andhra Pradesh committed to run 2500 special buses from Hyderabad to various parts of state like Vijayawada, Guntur, Godavari districts, Vishakapatnam and Srikakulam, the private travel agencies have hiked the ticket price by more than five times than the regular price.

While the regular ticket fares in normal days range from  Rs 1000 to 1500 in private buses, the prices during Sankranti week swelled close to Rs 6000, which is four to five times the orginal rate. Meanwhile, the government of Andhra Pradesh has announced operation of hundreds of buses to different destinations from Hyderabad without any hike in the ticket rates.

The special buses will ply from January 9 to January 13 to offer a seamless travel for passengers. APSRTC management has assured travelers that these services will not incur any additional charges. The Telangana government has also announced special buses during the festival season to accommodate the heavy rush of passengers..