THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation tightening scrutiny of its conductors over allegations of issuing free tickets to male passengers, staff of ‘Priyadarshini’ ordinary buses say they are being pushed to the brink.
With buses running at twice the capacity, conductors face a daunting task in managing overcrowded operations. Many emphasise that under intense pressure, allotting a value ticket to a female or a zero-value ticket to a male passenger usually boils down to a simple touchscreen error on the electronic ticketing machine (ETM). When a value ticket is accidentally printed for a female passenger, conductors often have to pay for the mistake out of their own pockets.
Within a month of the rollout of the Priyadarshini scheme, which provides free travel for women and transgender passengers, women travellers on KSRTC ordinary buses increased by 87%. The initiative triggered a 29% surge in daily ridership -- from 19 lakh to 24.5 lakh --resulting in severe overcrowding on local routes. Buses built for 60 to 70 passengers now routinely cram in up to 130 commuters.
“We run back and forth to issue tickets before the bus hits the next fare stage, because if we miss it we face instant vigilance action. In the rush, the slip of a finger on the quick-response screen can cause the wrong ticket to be printed,” explained a KSRTC conductor working the Thiruvananthapuram city route.
“If a paid ticket is accidentally issued to a woman, we can’t charge her. So, many of us quietly pay the difference out of our own hard-earned wages at the end of the shift just to balance the cash bag.”
Urging authorities to stop vilifying employees, former KSRTC executive director (vigilance) Anilkumar G emphasised that isolated human errors under extreme work stress are being unfairly generalised to ruin worker morale.
While acknowledging that a few individuals might act dishonestly, he stressed that operational flaws of a scheme launched without prior study should not be dumped onto front-line staff.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister C P John maintained a strict zero-tolerance stance against malpractice, warning that while over 99% of staff cooperate sincerely, anyone sabotaging the women’s empowerment initiative will face immediate suspension or dismissal.