With Gandhi Jayanti and the weekend resulting in a three-day holiday, the number of passengers travelling from Chennai to their hometowns has increased, leading to a sharp rise in fares on private omni buses across several routes from Friday, 2 October 2026 as reported in Dinakaran.
Passengers have also reported that fares for the return journey to Chennai after the holidays have increased significantly, particularly for Sunday night, October 4, when a large number of people are expected to return to the city.
Tamil Nadu has around 4,900 private omni buses in operation, of which nearly 3,000 are operated from Chennai to various destinations during festival periods and consecutive holidays. Lakhs of passengers rely on these buses during such periods.
According to current booking details, fares for journeys to Chennai on Sunday night, 4 October 2026, have risen considerably. Fares on the Madurai–Chennai route are reportedly as high as ₹4,000, while tickets from Nagercoil to Chennai and Tirunelveli to Chennai are priced at up to ₹4,500. Fares on the Coimbatore–Chennai route have also reportedly reached ₹4,500.
Passengers have also complained of higher-than-usual fares on routes from Chennai to destinations including Madurai and Coimbatore.
The increase has reportedly been attributed to the heavy rush expected on 4 October 2026, when large numbers of passengers are scheduled to return to Chennai on the same day after the holiday break.
To manage the additional passenger rush, state transport corporations are operating special buses from October 1 to 4. As many as 1,580 special buses are scheduled to operate from Kilambakkam on Friday.
For 4 October 2026, a total of 1,471 special buses are scheduled to operate from various hometowns towards Chennai and Bengaluru to accommodate passengers returning after the holidays.
Meanwhile, special teams have already been formed across Tamil Nadu to monitor whether private omni bus operators are violating regulations by charging excessive fares during the holiday period.
Passengers have urged authorities to closely monitor private operators and take immediate action against buses found collecting fares in violation of the prescribed rules, particularly during periods of high demand.
#JustNow || சொந்த ஊர்களுக்கு சென்ற மக்களுக்கு காத்திருக்கும் அதிர்ச்சி…
ஆம்னி பேருந்துகளில் டிக்கெட் கட்டணம் கிடுகிடு உயர்வு..#OmniBus | #TicketFee | #PolimerNews pic.twitter.com/jBicaWRAcR
— Polimer News (@polimernews) October 2, 2026
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