THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If passengers do not take tickets on KSRTC buses, the conductor is the one who will get into trouble. A fine of ₹500 will be imposed on those traveling without a ticket, but the conductor will have to pay up to ₹3000. This robbery by the management is in the midst of employees suffering without pay.

It has been decided to collect ₹68,500 from 31 conductors in Thiruvananthapuram district alone this month. A conductor was fined ₹2000 while the parent was fined ₹500 as the child did not take a half ticket during the inspection. A fine of ₹1000 was imposed when a passenger was found not to have bought a ticket on a crowded bus. Many complaints have been received by officials including the unit officers to the CMD.

A few conductors have allowed some passengers to travel without a ticket on long-distance services. Incidents of money being taken without giving tickets have also been caught red-handed. However, conductors want to say that everyone should not be harmed because of such isolated incidents.

On crowded buses, it's hard to find the passengers who intentionally don't buy tickets. Conductors say that it is unhealthy to collect fines from those who do their duty correctly. However, checking inspectors point out that some conductors fail to issue tickets even on buses with fewer passengers.

Penalty calculation for conductor

Number of passengers: Penalty

30: ₹5000

31- 50: ₹3000

51-70: ₹2000

Above 71: ₹1000