Pune private bus fares have risen to as much as ₹7,000 on some Diwali routes, with passengers reporting charges up to four times normal levels even as the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) conducts inspections and issues notices to operators accused of overcharging.
Passengers travelling from Pune to cities including Yavatmal and Indore said they had paid substantially more than regular fares during the festive rush. Saurabh Kakliya, travelling to Yavatmal, said he had booked a ticket for ₹4,500. Ankush Khole, who is travelling to Indore, said he paid ₹5,000 for a ticket booked a month in advance, compared with normal fares of between ₹1,200 and ₹1,800.
The complaints also concern the way fares are displayed on online booking platforms. Activist Prajakta Kulkarni told Pune Mirror that tickets for November 5 on operators including Raj Ratan Travel, Purple Travels and Verma Travels were being shown at between ₹6,000 and ₹7,000. She alleged that some applications displayed an initial fare of about ₹4,500 before increasing it when passengers moved to the seat-selection page.
Kulkarni said she submitted a complaint to the Pune RTO on October 23 and was later informed that notices had been sent to operators by post. On November 4, officials reportedly told her that the department could impose fines on travel operators, while action against booking applications would fall within the jurisdiction of the cyber police. She questioned whether penalties would provide any relief to passengers who had already paid inflated fares.
The RTO said private contract-carriage buses cannot charge more than 1.5 times the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation fare for the corresponding class of service. It said the special enforcement drive was launched following directions from the Transport Commissioner, with inspection teams checking buses, booking offices and online and offline tickets.
A complaint filed by citizen Pranav Tompe illustrates the difficulty of applying the fare ceiling to different bus categories. Tompe said he paid ₹4,497 for an AC sleeper ticket for a Pune-Yavatmal journey scheduled for November 6, 2026. Citing a Maharashtra Government Resolution dated April 27, 2018, issued under Section 67 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, he calculated that 1.5 times the published MSRTC fare of ₹1,275 would be ₹1,912.50. He also acknowledged that the calculation used the ordinary service category and asked the RTO to establish the applicable ceiling for an AC sleeper bus before deciding whether a violation had occurred.
Assistant Regional Transport Officer Rahul Fasle said operators found violating permit conditions were being fined and issued notices. They are given three days to respond, after which the department can begin legal proceedings, including action to cancel permits if the explanations are unsatisfactory. Fasle said buses could not be detained during inspections because passengers often objected to disruptions while trying to reach their destinations.
The RTO has not yet responded to calls made to Regional Transport Officer Archana Gaikwad and Deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosale. Another passenger, Pranav Tompe, said he had not received a response to his complaint through WhatsApp or email. The immediate enforcement process will depend on operators’ replies to the notices and the department’s verification of the applicable fare for each bus service category.
