COIMBATORE: Bus crew of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), Coimbatore division, has raised concerns that some conductors, without following the prescribed norms, force parents to purchase tickets for their five-year-old children due to a lack of awareness.
A conductor, Dharmaraj (name changed), from the Coimbatore region told TNIE that, as per a circular issued by the TNSTC in 2022, children below the age of five can travel free of charge on corporation buses.
"The circular means that children can travel free of charge until they attain the age of six. If a child has attained the age of six, it would be correct to ask the parent to purchase a ticket. However, many conductors tell parents to purchase tickets for children who are five years old, apparently due to a misunderstanding of the age calculation. Instead, they issue free tickets to children who are four years old. This contradiction continues in the Coimbatore division," he said.
Another conductor from Tiruppur district said that not only conductors but also some checking inspectors are unaware of how to calculate children's ages.
He recalled that on August 18, a checking inspector imposed a fine of Rs 100 on a parent for not purchasing a ticket for their five-year-old boy on a bus operating from Udumalpet to Tiruppur, even after the parent showed the child's Aadhaar card.
He said that the issue exists only in the TNSTC Coimbatore division, which comprises the four districts of Coimbatore, Tiruppur, the Nilgiris and Erode.
Meanwhile, members of the Nethaji Transport Workers' Welfare Federation at the Udumalpet branch in Tiruppur district have demanded that TNSTC officials, including branch managers, clarify the age calculation criteria for providing free tickets to children.
They urged officials to specify the exact age limit instead of merely stating "below five" and ensure that the clarification is communicated to conductors and checking inspectors. In this regard, they displayed the demand on their notice board in front of the Udumalpet depot.
Meanwhile, TNIE spoke to five conductors about the issue. Three of them said that parents must purchase a ticket once a child attains the age of five, while the other two said that children can travel free of charge until they attain the age of six.
When contacted, a senior TNSTC official from the Coimbatore division, who did not wish to be named, clarified that children can travel free of charge until they complete five years of age. He also said that parents must purchase a ticket once the child turns six. Asked about the conductors' lack of awareness of the rule, he said that steps would be taken soon to educate conductors and checking inspectors about it.
