GUWAHATI, Feb 8 - Regular commuters on private buses and �Traveller� vehicles plying from Guwahati to other parts of the State have complained that the operators charge different fares from them for the same distance on the same routes.
For travelling to places like Tezpur, the fares charged by private operators range from Rs 200 to 260.
Passengers have been facing the issue of varied fares by private operators after the government�s decision to hike fares of public transport by 25 per cent last year. The State government, vide a notification in November last year, directed the State transport authority and the regional transport authorities to fix the maximum fares of various commercial vehicles with an increase of 25 per cent against existing fares.
Kamal Kumar Medhi, a daily commuter between Guwahati and Nagaon, said, �If fares are increased frequently, it affects our savings. The number of government buses is limited. There is hardly any alternative. We urge the government to fix a uniform fare for the benefit of the commuters.�
Medhi added that the State transport department must ensure better service and deploy additional buses so that private buses do not take undue advantage.
All Assam Motor Transport Association (AAMTA) secretary-general Pradip Das said, �The problem is with the Traveller vehicles. More than sixty per cent of the Travellers are not affiliated to any motor vehicle union. We are taking measures to bring them under our association so that such problems are addressed. The transport authority should also take steps to regulate them. The authorities need to check if anybody is charging more.�
Another commuter alleged that super deluxe buses are being operated as ultra deluxe service. �The transport authority should check these things regularly,� he added.
