Indigo crisis: Private buses in Kerala-Bengaluru route charge exorbitant ticket prices

Bengaluru: Taking advantage of the mass cancellation of IndiGo flights from Bengaluru, private buses running on the Kerala-Bengaluru route have started charging exorbitant ticket prices ahead of the Christmas-New Year holiday season. Today, too, the airline has cancelled over 70 flights. Other airlines, like SpiceJet, have added more flights to their fleets, but ticket prices have also skyrocketed. Many Keralites are relying on private buses, as tickets for most trains to Kerala are on the waiting list and flight services are disrupted. Private buses are having a field day, as seats are filling up swiftly on Kerala and Karnataka RTC buses, too. Not just Kerala, private bus operators have increased ticket prices for services to Goa, Hyderabad, and Mumbai during the holiday season. 

Airfares touch ₹8500
Air tickets to Kochi for December 23 and 24 cost around ₹7,000–8,500. It usually costs around ₹3500 – 5000 on regular days. However, the ticket fares have skyrocketed due to high demand ahead of the festival days. A ticket on Akasa Air costs ₹8156, ₹7100 on IndiGo, and ₹8409 on Air India Express on December 23. Air fares on this route are likely to increase further as there are two more weeks for the holidays. 

Bus fare is Rs 6000
Private buses are charging up to ₹2000 from Bengaluru to Ernakulam on December 10 and 11. This is ₹200 – 300 more than the regular ticket price. However, the ticket prices rose to ₹6000 on December 19, when the Christmas holidays begin. Meanwhile, ₹1700 is the lowest price. 80 of the 122 private buses running services to Ernakulam charged more than ₹3000 that day. Most buses charge more than double the regular fares on the following days. Passengers must keep in mind that the bus fares are likely to increase further closer to the day of the journey. Meanwhile, ticket fares have crossed ₹4,000 on buses from Bengaluru to Mumbai and Goa.