For Somay Gandapwar, a student in Akurdi, the cost of going home to Nanded this Diwali doesn’t add up. The sleeper bus from Pune to Degloor, which normally costs Rs 900, is being sold for around Rs 2,200 for travel on November 5.

“Several of us students depend on our parents for expenses, and spending this much on a one-way trip is unaffordable. The authorities must keep a check on operators who are fleecing passengers,” he said.

He is far from alone. With train tickets hard to get confirmed and airfares climbing, thousands of Pune residents are making the same reluctant choice of a longer, more tiring bus ride at a price that has more than doubled on several routes.

Students bear the brunt

The Pune–Latur route shows how steep the increase is. Ajay Sonawane, a civil services aspirant, said a non-AC sleeper ticket that usually costs Rs 700 and an AC sleeper at around Rs 900 are now going for Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,200 or more. Seater tickets have nearly doubled to Rs 1,200–1,300.…