Homegoers' misery

This is a problem recurring every year and it is the unfortunate homebound passengers who have to endure the trauma. No sooner were the counters opened for the sale of advance bus tickets on July 3 than the buyers were told that the tickets had been sold out. It beats one's imagination how so many tickets can be sold out in such a short time!

But it's not only that tickets were sold out, those who were lucky to get a few had to cough up 25-30 percent more than the fare they would have paid on other days. It is difficult to buy the bus owners' absurd explanation that the jacked up prices during Eid holidays are the actual prices fixed by the government and that the fares cost less on other days because of the high demand and stiff competition. One would have thought that the reverse would be the case since the demand for bus tickets during festival holidays is higher than at any other time. The picture is the same for most of the train and launch travellers who have to suffer disappointment due to the nexus between ticket sellers and black marketers.

Every time we are served with assurances by the administration that no mismanagement regarding tickets would be brooked, we see the problems and woes repeated. Tickets are sold behind the counters and the helpless passengers are held to a ransom by the owners. The call for change has proved futile because some of those who can bring change have stakes in the business. The government should intervene quickly to redress the problem.