Your summer holiday to Goa just got more expensive

Bus services to Goa are arbitrarily increasing fares to cash in on the holiday season, and drawing parallels to hike in airline fares

It's bad news for travellers as city bus services have begun to arbitrarily increase fares to Goa, even as vacationers are already saddled with fancy air ticket prices. "On an average, we get an AC Volvo ticket to Goa for Rs 700 to Rs 800. An non-AC ticket costs between Rs 500 and Rs 600. But since it's holiday season, the price for an AC Volvo seat has gone up to Rs 1,600-Rs 2,200 while a non-AC seat costs between Rs 800 and Rs 1,200," said a booking agent at Night Travels, a bus service located at Marine Lines. If you have a last minute plan, booking your ticket on the same day of the journey means you pay even more. The passenger is charged at least Rs 400 more for both AC and non-AC services.

When this reporter contacted Sai Services, a travel agency located at Dadar, it also quoted similar fares to Goa. An Andheri-based travel agent agreed that air-fares for Goa during summer holidays were between Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000, which is nearly two to three times more than the regular fare. "When I contacted a Borivali-based bus service to Goa, they asked me to shell out Rs 3,800 for two seats. Initially, I thought I had heard it wrong, but the booking agent re-confirmed the fare. Since the bus fares were so exorbitant, I tried for air tickets. But tickets were not available for less than Rs 10,000 for two. That's almost two times higher than the regular fare," said Vikas Jain, a resident of Borivali and frequent flier to Goa.

While Indian Railways may not have increased fares, touts outside railway stations are running brisk businesses. As trains are running full in the summer months, they are asking desperate passengers to cough up hefty amounts for a confirmed ticket. "I can get you a confirmed ticket to Goa if you shell out Rs 800 extra for a third AC ticket," a tout at Mumbai Central station told this reporter.In November 2010, MiD DAY had first reported on the arbitrary fares being charged by airlines, following which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had to intervene, warning airlines of strict action if they continued to charge heavy fares.

Fare comparison
Current AC Bus fare : Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,200. Current Non-AC: Rs 800 to Rs 1,200. Regular Fare: AC Rs 700 to Rs 800. Non-AC between Rs 500 and Rs 600.