17 lakh rupees fine collected in 5 years: KSRTC

Mangaluru: Travelling without a bus ticket is equal to breaking the law. In the last five years, Dakshina Kannada district KSRTC division has collected more than 17 lakh rupees in fine from passengers travelling without tickets.

Though the passengers are sensitized about this issue, the number of passengers repeating the offence repeatedly is a sad issue. The fine amount increases every successive year and yet the corporation has not been able to prevent the leak in income. In all the five years of fine collection, last year has seen the highest amount collected.

Procuring ticket is passenger’s responsibility

Passengers cannot escape by saying the conductor did not give the ticket. This is so because, even though the conductor fails to give the ticket, it is the passenger’s responsibility to demand and procure the ticket says the law. Therefore, along with the conductor, the passenger too is subject for the punishment.

Passenger’s responsibility

“Everyone should procure the ticket and travel. If the passengers travel’s without the ticket, a fine of ten times the ticket price is imposed. If not compliant, the passenger might be handed over to the police for further investigation. According to the law, if the conductor fails to give the ticket, it is the passengers responsibility to demand and procure the ticket,” informs Deepak Kumar, KSRTC Mangaluru Division Officer.