Rabi Mandal of Sonarpur ended up spending around Rs 80 on Friday to reach his office in Beltala near Bhowanipore, changing auto rickshaws four times in between. On other days it would cost Mandal Rs 14 to cover the same distance on two private buses. Advertisement If the Bengal government had agreed to a bus fare hike that the operators were pressing for, Mandal would have had to spend Rs 30 at the most. That is Rs 50 less than what he ended up paying on Friday. The state government’s ploy to somehow stall a bus fare hike is hurting people more. Several commuters like Mandal are being forced to opt for autos as their only mode of transportation since state buses are few and far and even the ones that are available have been running packed to their capacity.