Air travel on the rise due to rising local bus fares

By DMG 25 Oct 2021

DMG Newsroom
25 October 2021, Sittwe 

Travel from Sittwe to Yangon and from Sittwe to Mandalay has seen an increase in air passengers due to rising bus fares. 

Previously, the ticket price from Sittwe to Yangon was K25,000, and the airfare was estimated at K50,000 to K60,000. 

But since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, passenger bus lines have been allowed to operate in accordance with the rules and regulations issued by the Department of Health, which has resulted in a passenger for two seats. 

At present, the bus fare for Sittwe-Yangon is between K35,000 and K45,000, and the minimum airfare is K45,000, so most passengers travel more by air. 

“There is not much difference between airfare and bus fare. If you travel by plane, you will arrive the same day, but by car, you will have to spend one night on the way and it will be more expensive. As a result, more and more passengers travel by air,” said Ko Thurein, a passenger travelling between Yangon and the Arakan State capital. 

Because most of the passengers are traveling by air, the owners of the air-conditioned express bus running the Sittwe-Yangon and Sittwe-Mandalay routes are facing inconveniences, according to drivers. 

Passengers are also subjected to security checks along the road when traveling by the air-conditioned express bus, and the number of trips from Sittwe to Yangon and Sittwe to Mandalay has recently decreased, said a female employee at the Shwe Pyi Thit bus line. 

“The bus lines are running, but there are not many passengers. Bus ticket prices range from K30,000 to K35,000. Previously, the ticket price was just over K20,000,” she told DMG. 

At present, passenger buses are traveling without passengers, said U Tun Tin, the head of Kyan Taing Aung bus line’s ticket counter. 

“Passenger buses are running as usual, but there are fewer passengers, so they have to travel mainly with commodities. There are only two or three passengers on a trip. Now that fuel prices have risen, passenger bus owners are losing money,” he explained. 

Drivers and passengers on the Sittwe-Yangon and Sittwe-Mandalay routes are currently relying heavily on freight due to the declining passenger numbers. 

Transportation charges from Sittwe to Yangon and Mandalay is K80 per viss (about 3.6 pounds), and freight charge from Yangon and Mandalay to Sittwe range from K180 to K200 per viss, according to passenger bus lines in Sittwe.