Intra-city and inter-city commute after sundown became a challenge on the eve of the panchayat poll with very few buses on the road as most of them have already been requisitioned for rural polls on Saturday.
Sensing the opportunity, auto operators and cabbies fleeced commuters.
For the last-mile connectivity on their way back home, a commuter ended up paying two-three times the usual weekday fare.
The situation is unlikely to improve before July 12 when the buses are expected to return with forces deployed in various districts.
While commuters had a tough time returning home on Thursday as many buses went off the road, the situation was worse on Friday with hardly enough buses to meet the commuter demand.
In Kolkata, buses take much of the commuting load. Their absence left the last-mile connectivity virtually paralysed.
There was additional pressure of school students as many schoolbuses have also been requisitioned for the rural elections.
On Rashbehari-Behala, Ultadanga-Salt Lake and MG Road-Kadapara para auto routes, commuters alleged that auto operators demanded two times the fare.
With demand soaring, app cab fare also increased 2x or even 3x. Metered cabs refused to ferry passengers on the meter + Rs 30, the standard fare.
"Cabs just did not move unless one was ready to pay Rs 100-150 over the meter ," said Sutirtha Das, who works with a private company at Dalhousie.