Chennai: Three weeks before Ayudha Puja, passengers booking private buses from the city for the holiday are seeing fares as high as ₹4,999 to Kodaikanal, up to ₹3,500 for Ooty, and exceeding 3,000 on some other popular routes.For Oct 17 (Saturday), Chennai–Ooty ticket fares touch ₹3,199. Chennai–Madurai tickets for Oct 19 cost up to ₹3,019, while Chennai–Coimbatore fares for Oct 16 hit ₹3,049. Return tickets from Coimbatore on Oct 20 are priced as high as ₹2,844, while return tickets from the hill stations on Oct 20, Ayudha Puja, and Oct 21 cost up to ₹3,200.Passengers booking 20 days in advance to avoid the rush said they were shocked by the fares. “I thought I was planning ahead. I didn’t expect the prices to be so high,” said B Nagarjunan, who was booking a ticket to Ooty. He rescheduled his travel after finding tickets for a day or two after Ayudha Puja were priced between ₹1,200 and ₹1,800. “I’d rather extend my stay by another day,” he said.Transport officials said they were unaware of the surge in private bus fares. “We will verify and initiate action,” an official said.All Omni Bus Owners Association (AOBOA) president A Anbalagan said the lack of a uniform fare structure was the main problem. The association has around 400 members among nearly 600 private bus operators, he said. AOBOA’s fare caps are ₹2,880 for Chennai–Kodaikanal, ₹2,980 for Chennai–Ooty and ₹2,880 for Chennai–Coimbatore. “We try to regulate fares, but new operators keep emerging,” he said. Operators have been asked to reduce prices, he added. “Otherwise, market forces will decide. If they set prices at ₹5,000, who will go?”
