Bengaluru warns BMTC conductors against asking passengers to get off over change: Transport minister faced the same during a surprise ride; UPI to be offered
Bengaluru’s bus operator has since issued a stern warning to all its drivers and conductors, directing them to treat passengers with respect and not turn people away due to disagreements over the change.
What did BMTC say after the incident?
According to the statement made after the incident, BMTC managing director Raghunandan Murthy instructed all drivers and conductors to treat passengers courteously. The transport authority has made it clear that removing any passenger from the ship or denying travel will not be tolerated due to lack of change, according to TOI.
Conductors have been asked to request passengers to use the UPI payment facility offered through dynamic QR scanning on ETM machines installed across the fleet as an alternative to cash.
The MD also instructed all divisional controllers to urgently identify bus stops that are not currently reflected as designated stops on ETM machines and report the same. Drivers and conductors, who are frequently involved in public complaints, will be sent to social skills training at Vaddarahalli training centre. Those who receive praise from passengers will be rewarded with a certificate of appreciation from the center.
what happened on saturday night According to Times of India, the chain of events that led to all this started on Saturday evening, when minister Byrathi Suresh boarded a BMTC bus as an ordinary passenger, wearing a surgical mask, giving the city’s public transport services a surprise reality check.
Traveling between 7.10 pm and 9.10 pm, the minister toured routes covering Jayamahal, TV Tower, RT Nagar, CBI Road, Hebbal, Manyata Technology Park, Nagawara, Hennur, Hennur Bande, Byrathi Bande and Geddalahalli.
At one point, he boarded a bus from Hebbal to Nagashettihalli and asked the conductor for two tickets and handed over a Rs 100 note. The conductor asked for a full change. According to TOI, when the minister said he had no money, the conductor showed his money bag, stated that he also had no change and told the minister to get off if he could not pay the full fare.
The minister, who has not yet been identified, left without saying a word.
Auto rickshaw charging more than meter
The bus wasn’t the only problem the minister faced that night. He also took an autorickshaw from Nagashettihalli for a short time; here the meter showed Rs 30 but the driver demanded Rs 36. When questioned, the driver reportedly told the minister the meter would be recalibrated. According to TOI, the minister paid Rs 40 and got off.
The objective of the audit was to assess at a basic level the issues routinely faced by daily commuters in Bengaluru. This Saturday, the minister experienced many of these first hand.
(With TOI entries)
