Do not cause difficulty to passengers, driver will be slapped with fine if bus is not stopped at bus stop; KSRTC's new face

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From now on, the KSRTC bus drivers who cause difficulties to passengers will be slapped with a fine of Rs 1000. The action will be taken against the drivers who do not stop the buses at the designated bus stops. The punishment will be doubled if the driver repeats the 'offence'. KSRTC has issued an order giving more powers to unit heads to expedite the actions. The new arrangement has been made at a time when operations of the district-level offices have been suspended.

Passengers can record the violations committed by KSRTC drivers on their phones and submit them along with the complaints. They can also lodge complaints through email, WhatsApp and by dialling the control numbers. Strict action will be taken against the drivers based on such evidence. The KSRTC officials can record the statement of the complainant through the phone. Moreover, inspectors have been instructed not to trouble the complainants in the name of investigation.

Employees who misbehave with passengers will be levied a fine of Rs 500. The fine will be doubled if the offence is repeated. The conductor will have to pay a fine of Rs 1000 if he sleeps while on duty. If the bus travels in routes other than the designated routes or skips travelling on the service roads, then the driver will be slapped with a penalty of Rs 1,000. Passengers can also complain about irregularities such as not dropping them off at the stops they wish to get down at, driving the bus carelessly and not providing reservation details.

Inspections will be intensified to avoid 'ticketless ' journeys. If a conductor fails to issue the ticket to a passenger due to rush or other reasons, he/she will have to pay a fine proportionate to the total number of passengers on the bus on that particular trip. If a conductor fails to issue a ticket to a passenger on a bus in which 30 persons are travelling at a time, then he/she will have to pay a fine of Rs 5000. If the conductor fails to issue a ticket to a passenger on a bus with 47 persons, he/she will have to pay a fine of Rs 3000. The conductor will have to pay Rs 1000 as a fine if he fails to issue a ticket to a passenger on a bus with more than 65 passengers. The conductor will face departmental disciplinary action if he fails to issue a ticket to a passenger on a bus with less than 20 passengers.