Mumbai: Due to the Holi holidays, summer vacations, and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the fare of private buses will be going to increase significantly. In the next one-and-a-half to two months, the fare of these buses is likely to increase by 1.5 times.
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The class 10 and 12 board exams will be over in the next few days and students will get summer breaks. On the other hand, due to Holi and Good Friday falling in the same week, many have started making reservations for trains and private travel to go to their villages.
Voting for the Lok Sabha elections will start next month. Bus transporters are hoping that the demand for bus cars to ferry voters to their villages from political parties will increase. Against this backdrop, ticket prices are likely to go up by one-and-a-half to two times, putting a pinch in the pockets of passengers.
Meanwhile, the March 23 fare has already more than doubled on the website which offers online booking of private buses in advance. So it's likely to increase further when school vacations begin.
Voter-travelers to surge
1) There have been two consecutive weekend holidays this week. There will also be a rush of people going to the village to vote during the elections.
2) Buses are also expected to be booked by political parties, which will increase the fare by 1.5 times during this period," said Harsh Kotak, general secretary of the Mumbai Bus Owners Association.
Passenger fares:
| Location | Current | Expected Increase |
| Mumbai to Nagpur | 1200 | 2000 |
| Mumbai to Sindhudurg | 1500 | 2300 |
| Mumbai to Ratnagiri | 700 | 1200 |
| Mumbai to Kolhapur | 700 | 1000 |
| Mumbai to Ch. Sambhajinagar | 650 | 900 |