Chennai, Sept 11:
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has questioned the sharp increase in fares charged by private omni bus operators in Tamil Nadu, saying passengers were being forced to pay up to 50 per cent more.
Anbumani wondered why the fares had been increased substantially and questioned whether there had been any corresponding improvement in the services provided by omni bus operators.
He said passengers were already burdened by rising travel expenses and that a steep increase in omni bus fares would cause further hardship, particularly for people travelling between cities and towns.
The PMK leader sought an explanation for the fare hike and urged the authorities to intervene to protect passengers from what he described as an unreasonable increase.
He also questioned whether the increase had been properly regulated and called for steps to ensure that private bus operators did not exploit passengers by charging excessive fares.
The issue assumes significance as omni buses are widely used for long-distance travel in Tamil Nadu, particularly during weekends and holidays, when demand for tickets tends to rise.