Travel in Mumbai has become 40% dearer in a year

MUMBAI: Inflation is the bugbear that throws home budgets way out of balance. But more than inflation, it is the office commute that should take the blame. From March-April 2012 till now, while inflation has gone up by about 5%, the cost of travelling has increased by a mind-numbing 40%.

Commuting by all modes of transport—autos , taxis, buses and now trains—has become costlier, as has travelling to the workplace in one's own car, courtesy precious petrol, CNG and diesel.

Auto and taxi fares increased twice in the period under consideration, shooting up by 36% and 18% from April to October 2012. Bus fares increased by 50% (daily tickets ) and 67% (monthly or quarterly passes); BEST plans to increase fares further in April. As for trains, "a first class local train ticket for a 60-km journey used to be Rs 126 in April 2012, but will become Rs 140 in a few days, without a simultaneous improvement in service" , said Mira Road resident Jaldeep Pandya , before asking, rhetorically , "Is this justified?"