Consecutive holidays are available around Republic Day. Therefore, citizens who have settled in Pune for work prefer to go to their hometowns or on vacation. This leads to a surge in passenger traffic
during the long weekends. Taking advantage of this opportunity, private bus operators have almost doubled the ticket prices for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The ticket prices for private buses going from Pune to Marathwada, Vidarbha, Konkan, and Khandesh have been increased. Since train bookings are full two months in advance, tickets are not available on trains at the last minute. Therefore, passengers are forced to rely on private buses.
Due to the consecutive holidays around Republic Day, there is a significant increase in demand for domestic air travel. Consequently, there has been a substantial increase in air ticket prices during this period. As the number of people travelling to Vidarbha and Marathwada has increased during this time, private bus operators have also increased their ticket prices. This is putting a strain on the pockets of passengers travelling for tourism or to their hometowns.
With the Republic Day holiday, there is a continuous three-day holiday from Saturday to Monday. A large number of citizens travel to Delhi to watch the Republic Day parade. Therefore, air ticket prices for flights to Delhi have doubled on Saturday and Sunday.
Moreover, Air ticket prices are highest on routes such as Mumbai-Delhi, Pune-Bengaluru, Mumbai-Goa, and Pune-Kolkata. Tickets that usually cost four to six thousand rupees on other days have reached 10 to 15 thousand rupees during this period. The prices are even higher for flights at peak times.
Due to the price hike, many passengers have turned to trains, and some have changed their travel dates. However, since the holiday period is limited, many will travel by paying the increased ticket prices. Airlines are stating that this price increase is seasonal and demand-based. Booking at least two to three weeks before the holiday can result in relatively cheaper fares; however, those travelling at the last minute will face a significant financial burden.
