Cock-a-doodle-doo!!! KSRTC conductor charges half-a-ticket for hen passengers

While traveling in an SRTC bus even minor children are charged and have to buy half tickets. But hens? There is a story right there.

A farmer traveling to Peddanahalli from Gauribidanur in Chikkaballapura district (Karnataka) by a KSRTC bus on Sunday morning — a 30-minute journey — was left astonished when the conductor charged him a half-ticket apiece for the two hens he was carrying.

Srinivas, a resident of Peddanahalli, revealed he had purchased the hens for Rs 150 each in Gauribidanur and had boarded the bus at the town bus stand around 7:10 AM. He handed over a Rs 50 note to the conductor for the Rs 24 fare for an adult. Srinivas expected the conductor to return Rs 26, but to his shock, was given only Rs 2 — and three tickets.

Stunned, Srinivas checked the tickets and found that the conductor had issued two half-tickets of Rs 12 each. Half-tickets are issued to children between six and 12 years of age, weigh between 23kg and 30kg and occupy a seat. A perplexed Srinivas told the conductor he did not have children with him and asked him why he had issued the two half-tickets.

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Much to the farmer’s surprise, the conductor pointed to the two hens Srinivas was carrying and said he had issued the two half-tickets for the birds. An argument ensued between the two, but the conductor refused to budge and claimed he was well within the rules to charge for the hens. The argument came to an abrupt end as the bus arrived at Srinivas’s stop and he had to alight.

“We farmers depend on public transport,” Srinivas said. “It was just two (hens) which together weighed 2.5kg and did not occupy a seat. They were in a plastic bag and on my lap. I’m shocked that I was charged half-tickets for them.”

According to KSRTC’s policy which is hosted on its website, rabbits, pups, cats, birds and birds in a cage are charged children’s fare. “Pet animals are allowed at the risk of accompanying passengers,” the rules state. “Pets shall be carried in baskets, tied with chains and facemasks. Passengers should ensure safekeeping of pets and not cause disturbance to other passengers/bus crew / KSRTC property. Under no circumstances will they be treated as part of free allowance.”

AU Shariff, depot manager, KSRTC, Guaribidanur, said he was aware of the incident and insisted that Srinivas was charged as per the transport corporation’s regulations. “A circular issued by the department states that we must levy a charge if they (passengers) are carrying pets,” Shariff said. “The electronic ticket generating machines which conductors use nowadays do not have such a facility (to charge for pets), so the conductor issued tickets for children and also wrote on the back of the ticket that it was charged for the two hens.”