Mangaluru-Mumbai KSRTC bus service stopped!

• Monsoon posed as excuse to stop Volvo bus service
• Red signal to Uttara Kannada too

Mangaluru: The Air India flight service to financial city Mumbai has already been stopped. Travellers are now in a fix with KSRTC Mangaluru-Mumbai bus service too being stopped since a month.

KSRTC has stopped its Mangaluru-Mumbai bus service blaming it on the rains and financial loss and informs that it will resume its service come September 1^st, it’s not definite. As the festive season, it is difficult to get train tickets booked due to which travellers are now forced to rely on private buses for their needs.

Thousands of people travel between Mangaluru-Mumbai. But there is not one AC bus from the transportation company to the destination. Not just Mumbai, the corporation has also stopped its AC bus service to Uttara Kannada too!

A year back, 5 Volvo buses from the transport corporation were 2plying between Mangaluru-Mumbai. One by one a bus service was terminated which now limited to two buses. Of the two, it was decided that one would be ‘Permanent’ while the other would be ‘Seasonal’. Later, only one bus was functioning. Finally, only if there is booking the service would exist. Now, giving the reason of low booking, the service has been altogether stopped. Hence, its either the train or the 25 private buses on which the travellers are compelled to rely on.

The sudden rise in ticket price when there is demand has caused much displeasure to the travellers. There is accusation that even when private buses maintained their ticket prices at Rs.1,300, KSRTC would nonetheless keep their prices high at Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000. During season there used to be 20-25 seats booked and on other times 10-15 people used to book their tickets. According to the corporations calculations, for 350kms the minimum ticket price is Rs. 700-800. Since Mumbai is at a distance of 1000kms, at least Rs. 2,000 should be the ticket price. Even if the price is lower than that, people will not come argues the corporation.

Amidst this, KSRTC has informed online that its Volvo service to Mumbai will resume from September 1^st onwards. Sources have informed that, if there is no booking, the service will be cancelled. Online ticket booking for Mumbai is less and mostly it happens through agents. But, as per the coroporation central office’s decision, booking through agents was stopped and was instead diverted to strict online booking platform. Since agents started giving more concentration towards private buses, the lack of passengers came into existence.

More than 20 bus services cut down!

20 buses functioning from KSRTC Mangaluru division have been stopped for the reason of rain and loss. The only Volvo bus that was plying between Hubballi-Belagavi has alos been cancelled. Even buses to Bengaluru are also being run on booking basis. The number of Volvo buses functioning in Kalburgi and Ballari has also been reduced. There is only one non-AC sleeper bus to Dharwad. There are more than 20 ‘Vegadootha’ buses to this region. There is no answer to the question on when the cancelled buses shall resume their service.

No Air India service too!

Air India has cancelled its flight service between Mangaluru-Mumbai without intimation since July 12^th to September 30^th. It was possible to travel in this plane at a lower price.