The bus fares have been revised upwards recently by large margins. As a comparison, the train fares are lesser. So, the passengers prefer train travel.
It is notable that especially while comparing the long-distance fares, the difference between train and bus fares is up to Rs. 500. So, there is a teeming crowd for train travel. However, the seats reserved are limited and hence tickets are not available.
The suburban electric train services in the Chennai Metro City are a boon for the public as the fares are comparatively much less.
The bus fare between Egmore and Tambaram is Rs. 39. The train fare is Rs. 10. So there are huge crowds of train passengers.
The public who travelled by bus spending Rs. 10 to Rs. 20 on a daily basis is now compelled to spend Rs. 100 for bus travel. With most of the public running their lives with strict budgets, this additional fare poses a huge burden for them. Some of the passengers have even changed over to bicycles.
The families from other districts who live in Chennai generally undertake visits to their native places when there are successive holidays. However, the bus fares have gone up quite steeply.
Unless reserved in advance, it is difficult to get train tickets. Thus, most are compelled to avoid travel.
With the ensuing Republic Day on 26th January which falls on a Friday, there are 3 successive holidays including the next Saturday and Sunday. However, the families who had planned a trip in this period have started cancelling them.
Here is a table of comparison of train and bus fares to some destinations:
Destination
|
Train fare - 2nd class Berth (Rs)
|
Bus fare - Deluxe (Rs)
|
Trichy
|
245
|
308
|
Madurai
|
315
|
615
|
Tirunelveli
|
380
|
695
|
Sengottai
|
385
|
730
|
Tuticorin
|
385
|
697
|
Nagercoil
|
410
|
778
|
Kanyakumari
|
420
|
800
|
Karur
|
260
|
480
|
Coimbatore
|
315
|
570
|
Salem
|
225
|
383
|
Erode
|
270
|
339
|
Namakkal
|
260
|
444
|