PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Transport department is all set to launch a state-wide drive in the second week of December aimed at monitoring and checking the fares levied by city buses, Vikrams and auto rickshaws among public transport vehicles. This drive will also assess whether these vehicles display the fares prominently for passengers. This move has been envisaged in response to the concerns raised by the people regarding the varying fares for same routes which, they allege, often change in an hour or day, particularly in city buses. The Doonites have also echoed these concerns, urging the authorities to address the issue to spare them the fare-whims of the transport providers.
Speaking to The Pioneer, a local, Vinay Kumar said that he faces this issue often while travelling in public transport. “I mostly travel in city buses to reach my office. The fares are inconsistent, varying from day to day, though the distance I travel remains the same. Quite bafflingly, the fares change from hour to hour. I want the authorities to rein in on such quirky variations in fares through constant monitoring and actions,” he noted.
Another resident, Riya Chanchal articulated the same grievance. “Making the passengers shell out fares which keep on varying from hour to hour amounts to acts of blatant exploitation. This is happening not just in Dehradun but across the State with the authorities concerned choosing to look the other way for reasons unknown to us. But this must stop,” she averred.
