Free trip if bus conductor fails to give ticket

Mangaluru: No matter the variety of attempts made by the members of the city bus owners association to make bus conductors give tickets to passengers travelling in the city bus, the rule has failed to be implemented effectively. In this backdrop, the members have come up with an innovative initiative according to which the passengers avails a free trip if the conductor fails to give bus ticket from next month.

Through this new method which will be started soon, efforts will be put in to make the bus conductors realize the gravity of not giving tickets to passengers.

The awareness programme titled ‘Free travel if there is no ticket’ will begin from September month and will be implemented in 45 buses on an experimental basis.

Initially, the system will be introduced in the bus route no 27 between State Bank and Talapady, route no 13 bus between State Bank – Ullal and route no 5 bus plying between State Bank-Mangaladevi via Attavar. Later it will implement in all the city buses.

As per this campaign, conductors must compulsorily provide the bus ticket to the passenger. If in case the conductor fails to give the ticket, the passenger need not pay the fare and can travel for free. Besides, in order to make sure the compulsory implementation of the ticket rule in the city buses, a team made of bus owners will be conducting operations in this regard at some routes in the city.

The transport department has already passed a rule according to which, all city buses must compulsorily make use of electronic ticketing machine. But the conductors of most of the buses plying in the city do not follow this rule. The city bus owners association has already given an order to bus conductors for the strict following of this rule, even then, the rule is not being followed and therefore the association has come forward this new ‘Free travel if there is no ticket’ system.

Soon, smart cards for city buses

Similar to the smart card system in effect at ‘Namma Metro’ in Bengaluru, smart card system will be introduced to city buses in Mangaluru. The city bus owners association has come forward to introduce this system in the city buses here soon. Already, discussions have been held with officials of a certain bank, the system is expected to be introduced soon. If this system is implemented, the smart cards will have to be top up recharged. This will effectively eliminate the change problem currently being faced in the city buses. Due to this reason, instead of using the electronic ticketing machine similar to an ADC, the conductors will be provided with tablets. Instead of giving cash to the conductor, only the card need be swiped.

New system to be implemented

The bus conductors must feel responsible to provide the ticket. Already, warnings have been issued to compulsorily provide tickets to the passengers. Yet, the rule is being blatantly ignored and in order to counter this, this new campaign of ‘Free travel if there is no ticket’ is being introduced on an experimental basis – Dilraj Alva, President of City Bus Owners Association