Festive travel home and back turns costly for passengers:Bus operators’ ‘Diwali loot’ sees fares rise up to 6 times; RTO says, ‘beyond our control’

If you plan to travel from Bhopal to Pune by bus a day before Diwali- on October 19- be ready to spend over ₹5,000 on the ticket. Online searches show that an IndiGo flight on the same route that day costs around ₹6,000- barely any difference. Every year during festivals, bus operators charge arbitrary fares, often four to five times higher than usual. An analysis carried out by Dainik Bhaskar found that buses from Bhopal and Indore to cities like Pune, Mumbai, and Varanasi are almost as expensive as flights on the same routes. Within Madhya Pradesh too, fares for routes such as Bhopal–Rewa, Indore–Jabalpur, and Bhopal–Chhindwara have surged several times above normal rates. Ticket agents admit prices could rise even more in the coming days. Meanwhile, transport department officials say they have little control over this annual “Diwali loot.” Understand passengers’ pain through three cases… Case 1: My colleagues cancelled their plans to go home
Common passengers are troubled by such exploitation during festivals. Sandeep Nema from Sagar, who works in Bhopal, says, I often travel by bus, but as soon as Diwali approaches, the fare reaches sky-high. Many of my colleagues from Varanasi and Gorakhpur who work with me have cancelled their plans to go home after seeing the increased fares. Case 2: Expensive ticket made them pull back
The story of Chhindwara student Alpa Yadav is similar. When he went to get an advance bus ticket after not getting a train ticket, he returned empty-handed after hearing more than double the fare. He said, I don’t have enough pocket money to buy such an expensive ticket. Now Tatkal ticket is the last hope, otherwise I don’t know how I will go home. Case 3: This is unfair to common people
Rishabh Bhatt, who is traveling from Bhopal to Pune, says, This fare is beyond the reach of the common man. Not everyone can afford three to four times increase in fare. People can only go home once or twice a year during festivals. In such a situation, increasing the fare so much is wrong. When the common man pays tax to the government, the government and administration should at least pay attention to this and fix the fare. Now know how the fare is increasing… Fares from Bhopal to Varanasi touch ₹6,000 The fare from Bhopal to Rewa and Varanasi, which normally ranges between ₹800 and ₹1,200, has shot up to ₹6,000 during the Diwali season. Similarly, passengers travelling from Indore to Rewa are being charged up to ₹3,700, compared to the usual ₹800–₹1,200. Meanwhile, the fare from Bhopal to Pune, which generally costs between ₹1,200 and ₹1,500, has now reached ₹5,200 for travel on October 19. There is no relief even after Diwali on October 20, as passengers returning home are also being charged inflated rates. Bus and flight fares from Indore to Mumbai almost the same Passengers travelling from Indore to Mumbai are facing the same issue of arbitrary pricing. At present, bus fares are between ₹3,000 and ₹3,500, and operators say they could soon rise to ₹5,000–₹6,000. Coincidentally, the flight fare from Indore to Mumbai on October 19 is also around ₹5,000 — meaning there’s virtually no difference between bus and air travel costs. Indore–Pune bus and flight fares nearly equal too The luxury AC bus fare from Bhopal to Mumbai was ₹1,300 on October 10. A quick online check for October 24 shows the same route now costs ₹4,700- a clear indication that bus operators plan to continue overcharging even after Diwali. Similarly, the fare from Indore to Pune, which was ₹1,000–₹1,200 on October 10, has risen to ₹4,600 for October 24. Flight fares on this route vary slightly depending on the airline, but for carriers such as Air India Express and IndiGo, tickets are priced between ₹5,000 and ₹5,500- barely any difference compared to buses. Agents admit prices will rise further A Bhopal-based ticket booking agent, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, There is very high demand during Diwali — all buses are running full. Fares will rise even more as the festival nears. The Varanasi fare can reach up to ₹8,000. When seats are limited and passengers are many, increasing prices becomes our compulsion. Experts note that this problem recurs every festive season. With limited train seats and a shortage of government-run buses, passengers often fall prey to private operators charging excessive fares. They believe that better fare regulation and the introduction of additional government buses ahead of festivals could help ease this yearly struggle for passengers. RTO cites tourist permits, denies control over fares When questioned about these arbitrary collections, Bhopal RTO Jitendra Sharma said fares are fixed only for “state carriage” buses operating within Madhya Pradesh. If they overcharge, we can take action, But most buses running to cities like Pune, Mumbai and Varanasi operate under an ‘All India Tourist Permit’, and we have no control over their fares. He also admitted that several private operators misuse tourist permits to run regular passenger services, which is a clear violation of transport rules.