Reasons for the gradual increase in Chennai city bus fares
Posted on: 27/Jan/2018 12:56:36 PM
In the recent revision of bus fares, the state government of Tamil Nadu has taken the extreme step of revising the fares upwards in each of the stages from the 1st to the 10th stage. This action has put the common public into great hardship.
The state government of Tamil Nadu issued the order of the upward revision of the bus fares on 19th January by 55% to 60% which was made effective from the very next day – 20th January. However, in the Chennai Metro city transport, the fare has almost gone up by 100%.
As per the revised fares, in the Chennai Metro City transport, the minimum fare in the ordinary buses has become Rs. 6 and the maximum fare, Rs. 25. In express buses, the maximum fare is Rs. 37. In deluxe buses, the minimum fare is Rs. 13 and the maximum fare is Rs. 51. This substantial increase has put the poor and the middle-class section of the society into great hardships.
The new fare system
When the bus fares were revised last in 2011, the fares were not revised for each of the 10 stages. There were only 6 fares fixed for 1st to 10th stages. Later, it was revised to only 4 changes in the 10 stages.The fares for the deluxe and air-conditioned buses were also fixed on the same basis.
However, in the present revision of fares, there have been increases in each of the 10 stages even for the ordinary buses (refer table).
For the next 10 stages (from 11th to 20th), 6 types of revisions have been made. The public feeling the higher fare impact, Have complained and started indulging in arguments with the bus conductor.
Some bus conductors explained the rule followed that there will be a new stage for every 2 km. However, in most routes, this format has not been followed. In some places, a change of stage has been considered at the end of the 1st km itself.
Further, in the suburban bus services, the revisions in fares are made as per the old distance (km) base. Because of the ongoing CMRL (Chennai Metro Rail) project, the fares for the buses which take a longer suburban route are calculated on km basis and charged.
Ordinary bus fares:
|
Stage |
2011 fare in Rs. |
2018 fare in Rs. |
|
1st |
3 |
6 |
|
2nd |
4 |
7 |
|
3rd |
5 |
8 |
|
4th |
5 |
9 |
|
5th |
6 |
10 |
|
6th |
6 |
11 |
|
7th |
6 |
12 |
|
8th |
7 |
13 |
|
9th |
7 |
14 |
|
10th |
7 |
15 |
