Good bye to the lean fare system - Surprising info regarding travelling in the a/c buses this summer!!
Posted on: 18/Apr/2023 9:15:52 AM
Soon, you could be shelling out more money from your pockets for the tickets to travel in the air-conditioned and semi-sleeper buses during the weekdays!!
It is worth mentioning that State Express Transport Corporation or SETC has done away with the lean fare system now for the entire summer vacation and every ticket would cost Rs 50 to Rs 150 more now. In 2019, SETC introduced flexi fare system after taking a cue from the private bus operators in TN. It is known that SETC is one of the 8 state owned transport corporations that operates long distance buses from Chennai to places like Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Bengaluru etc.
To attract more passengers, the ticket fare was reduced by ten to twenty five percent undr the flexi fare system for the passengers to travel during the weekdays also. It is noteworthy that during the weekends there was no such concession and SETC collected about Rs 2 for every kilometer travelled by the passengers in the air-conditioned buses. Till 15th of June 2023, the elan fare system would be scrapped. It is now said that travelling from Chennai to Trichy in a/c sleeper buses would cost Rs 705 instead of Rs 635 till 15th June.
The transport authorities have explained that soon the schools and colleges would be closed for the summer vacation and due to that there would be more patronage in the buses. Point is that the transport corporation would try to generate sufficient revenue in the coming days.
This has made many feel unhappy now. It was later mentioned by a transport activist Mr. Rengachari that it would set a bad precedent as private omni buses would also follow the footsteps of SETC. Truth is that already these omni buses have been collecting huge fares for tickets from the passengers.
The quality of bus service has been turning from bad to worse and this was according to some passengers. A frequent SETC bus user spoke about how the a/c units in the buses either don`t work well or have vents broken with cold air hitting the face of the passengers.
