‘Unexpected Generosity’: Conductors issuing tickets to far-off locations for bus journeys in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Passengers on KSRTC buses in the state are experiencing a peculiar phenomenon, seemingly after the introduction of the “Shakti” scheme. The bus conductors are quite generous nowadays, they say. When passengers request tickets for certain destinations, they are instead provided tickets for much farther locations on the route.

For example, if a passenger asks for a ticket from Bengaluru to Srirangapatna, they receive a ticket to Mysuru instead. Similarly, those travelling from Bengaluru to Haveri are handed tickets to Hubli. This pattern of “generosity” has been occurring for about a month.

Passengers are sometimes given tickets to destinations 30 to 35 km away from their intended stops. Consequently, even if ten passengers are given such tickets daily, the corporation gains an extra income of Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 per bus.

During crowded journeys, passengers may not notice the error until later.

BMTC buses in the city are also affected. Nisarga a passenger who arrived from Tumkur said, she was handed a ticket to Manipal Hospital when all she wanted to travel was to Domlur from Majestic. Many others have reported similar experiences.

This generosity may not be completely altruistic. Many alleged that this is being done to increase revenue for the corporation and reward administrators who surpass collection targets. However, it has also inadvertently led to a leakage of government funds, they said.

There may be a difference of only five rupees in the ticket price from one bus station to the next bus station in BMTC bus. But if this continues, it may increase to five to ten, ten to twenty in the next few days. This may benefit the corporation. But it will indirectly burden the government, they said.