City bus conductors are a harried lot these days. A surfeit of passes has pushed up their frustration levels.
As one conductor pithily put it, he has to cater to at least four different sets of commuters – those buying tickets; those having monthly passes; those having day passes with ID cards and those having day passes without ID cards.
Electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) could have eased the situation. For one, it would have decreased the burden on conductors. But, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is yet to introduce it on a large scale.
The machines have been introduced only in five out of 34 depots. In contrast, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West KRTC and North East KRTC have introduced ETMs on all their buses. Not only do they help conductors but also reduce pilferage. A senior RTC official said pilferage in KSRTC has come down to just about two per cent from six to seven per cent.
ETMs eliminate issuing of tickets manually and the drudgery of stage-wise entries. Another BMTC conductor said had ETMs been introduced everywhere, he would have been the happiest person.
Stagewise entry means noting down the details of tickets issued once every few stops, designated as a stage. Conductors have to issue tickets to all passengers before reaching a stage. This takes time, and the bus makes unscheduled stops to give the conductor time to make the entries. After crossing a stage, the conductor has to again open new entries. These are time consuming, say conductors. As if this was not enough, conductors have to fork out change to passengers which again takes time. The task is herculean especially during peak hours when buses are packed, lamented a conductor.
BANGALORE
What has irked conductors is the introduction of loyalty cards which have added to their workload.
With the BMTC management making production of either the monthly pass ID card or the loyalty card compulsory to buy day pass at Rs. 35, conductors have to carry two sets of passes – one priced at Rs. 35 and the other at Rs. 40. Along with these passes, they also carry bundles of tickets of different denominations.
A conductor, narrating his experience, said after issuing the day pass on the basis of the ID card, the conductor has to ensure that the ID card number is entered in the pass. Many a time, commuters do not carry pens and the conductor has to lend his, he said.