BMTC conductors allowed passengers to travel without tickets in Jigani

BENGALURU: Some BMTC staffers seem to be operating with impunity, flouting rules and regulations without fear of their superiors. The electric buses at the Jigani depot have been plagued by issues with electronic ticketing machines (ETMs), yet they continue to operate without issuing tickets, allegedly based on verbal instructions from depot managers and DTOs.

Thousands of zero-fare tickets for the Shakti scheme remain undistributed due to server issues, and passengers are being allowed to travel without tickets for free. This raises serious concerns about accountability and safety.

The BMTC’s actions have sparked questions about who would be held responsible in case of an accident during these ‘unauthorised’ trips.

Due to server issues, thousands of zero-fare tickets under the Shakti scheme haven’t been distributed without permission from senior authorities or authorisation letters. On October 15, server issues with the ETMs caused buses to not operate, but for the next two days, around 60 buses were operated from Jigani depot without distributing tickets. While manual tickets were given to male passengers, female passengers weren’t issued tickets.

Depots are supposed to provide daily accounts of free ticket distribution to the government and department, but they are providing estimated accounts instead. If an accident occurs to a passenger on these buses, there is no way to establish that they were on the bus. Some conductors were forced to perform duties without a copy of the order.

While it is acceptable for depot managers and DTOs to give verbal instructions to avoid inconvenience to the public, the question remains — who would be held responsible if an accident occurs without permission from senior authorities? Currently, the server issue with the ETMs has been resolved, and zero-fare tickets are being distributed to women passengers.