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BMTC Drivers issuing used tickets
aghose - 30 October, 2009 | Bangalore | BMTC | Corruption | Bus | Citizen Reports | Transportation | public transport | Tickets
Many BMTC Drivers and conductors (Mainly ordinary, pushpak and suvarna) are issuing used tickets. It works like this: I buy a ticket for say 30 Rs. Say I do not have change and I hand over Rs. 100 to the conductor/driver then he writes at the top on the back side of one ticket the amount he has to return me back (Rs 70). While asking for the money when it's time for me to get down, he will give me Rs 70 but keep the ticket, which he will issue to new passengers on the same route. This he carefully manages delaying updating his file where he needs to put in the ticket numbers that have been issued periodically.
This is happening at a huge rate and I am certain this will eat into BMTC's profilts. Every second day either I can see this happening or even at time I have also been issued torn tickets not from the booklet but from old tickets maintained cleverly inside that, or sometimes the conductors/drivers have refused to return my tickets!!
I would request BMTC officials to issue strong instructions to Drivers and Conductors in this regard. I have been arguing with these people for quite some time, but I do not think I can fix this problem myself unless I see some action from BMTC.
Thanking you,
Akshay
COMMENTS
Have noticed this too...
sanjayv - 30 October, 2009 - 14:54
I always demand the ticket back since then. Nobody has refused to do so yet. Another thing to do is to note the details of the bus (as much information as you can) and send a complaint to the Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), currently, Mr.K. S. Vishwanath. (ctmobmtc@gmail.com).
I have always received a response. However, my wish is to also get a complaint number in the future so that there is an official record of it. That would be an interesting thing to suggest to BMTC. An Automated complaint recording system. There needs to be a way to give a trackable complaint and be able to get information on what action was taken.
Could we add this to suggestions for BMTC?
Electronic tickets too?
shas3n - 30 October, 2009 - 11:24
Aren't electonically printed tickets supposed to solve this problem? I think they have the time printed on the ticket.
In your observation, does the 'ticket-recycling' happen even with those tickets?
Note the Route No.
Sunil Kumar - 30 October, 2009 - 11:47
I guess the best way is to note the route & the bus numbers. Later whenever the Praja team meets the BMTC this should be informed about the route & bus No. So that they could do a suprise check on those routes. I thought the Electronic tickets are a good boon but end of the day its handled by a human who inturn can manuuplitae the same as we dont have change.
Re:BMTC Drivers issuing used tickets
aghose - 31 October, 2009 - 07:23
Thanks for the email of Chief Traffic Manager. This will really be helpful. Yes with electronic tickets I haven't seen this issue but most of our BMTC buses are still on the usual paper printed tickets. Once all buses gets equipped with the electronic ticket vending machines, this issue would get solved.
Complaints to BMTC
pathykv - 31 October, 2009 - 08:55
Whenever I send e-mail to CTMO's i.d. it bounces.
K.V.Pathy
Checking ticketless passengers?
silkboard - 1 November, 2009 - 04:13
How many people does BMTC employ to check passengers for ticketless travel?
One way is to check drivers and TCs. But more important is to get passengers to have the fear of getting caught, they will then insist on for a proper ticket.
As suggested here (http://praja.in/en/blog/silkboard/2009/07/08/bmtc-corruption-and-ticket-less-rides) - this could to be a case of organized corruption, and not splinter island cases where the drivers or TCs are doing things on their own without knowledge of their supervisors.
Ticketless travel in buses
pathykv - 1 November, 2009 - 11:04
One way to curtail this is to appoint willing senior citizens as 'Transport Wardens' (a la Traffic Wardens) after giving them suitable training.
These should be from regularly travelling commuters in different routes.
I had made this suggestion during 'BMTC Commuter Comfort Task Force' days, but not implemented .
K.V.Pathy
Effectiveness of enforcement
idontspam - 1 November, 2009 - 11:53
The universal truth in enforcement is, make it expensive to commit fraud. There is no point in catching a million people and fining each 100 rupees. The fine has to be 100 times the ticket value and make an example of the 100 people you catch. This applies to traffic offences as well.
Publicize every example being caught
dvsquare - 1 November, 2009 - 18:43
Whenever any surprise checking being done, or during normal checking also, whenever anyone get caught either conductor or a passenger, better publicize it, advertize it so that peole get to know the consequences of travelling ticketless as well as they feel a little bit feared doing that corruption (both passenger and conductor). Media should help out here to make a issue out here, so that this point catches attention and help somehow eradicating corruption.
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