Commuters being taken for a ride by conductors

HYDERABAD: Ever dreaded the thought of travelling in city buses without adequate change in your pocket? If so, you are not alone. Conductors of low floor, as well as normal city buses, have been taking commuters for a ride, giving an excuse, that to most commuters sounds as simple as harmless: no change.“I have many a time ended up not receiving balance for the ticket bought. Conductors cite lack of change, though frankly, most times I feel they are quietly pocketing the extra money, knowing we would not argue over `5 to 6, especially once our stop arrives”, says Naveen, a regular commuter between Ameerpet and Kothaguda.For most commuters, the chances of retrieving the balance is almost inversely proportional to the distance travelled. “The farther you travel, the longer you are kept waiting; until either you forget about the change or realise about it only upon nearing your stop, after which it is as good as gone” adds Naveen. It has almost become mandatory for commuters to beg for change from nearby shops before entering any bus. “I buy eatables or small items which I do not require just to get enough change to pay for my travel” explains a young techie living near Madhapur.The conductors, however, put forward their own reason to do away with pocketing extra bucks. “It is true we do not have change always. But we are not change vending machines either. One should understand that as people continue to push notes into our hands, our change quota gets over and never gets refilled. Towards the end of the day, we would be left with no change, but only lots of 10s and 100s”, rues a conductor of a JNNURM bus in the city.  Conductors of low floor buses will have an excess of notes and few coins, while those of regular buses have an excess of coins and very few note, he adds referring to different payment modes of commuters, as he opens his purse showing plenty of notes, but barely any coins.Suresh Kumar, regional manager, APSRTC, Secunderabad region, said that so far the corporation had received no complaints regarding the same. “There could be a probability that conductors are taking advantage of commuters. But it could also be that the change gets over within the first few trips, after which commuters face a problem. Unless a complaint is registered with us, how can we be aware of such an activity or take action?”According to him, commuters can take a photocopy of the ticket bearing the change amount inscribed behind by the conductor, note the bus number and bring the matter to the attention of the regional managers of either Hyderabad or Secunderabad. “We will definitely take strict action against any erring bus operator or conductor”, he adds. Even regional manager for Hyderabad region, Venkateswara Rao, denied receiving any such complaints.Currently, conductors are given `30 to 50 as change amount before they start their first trip.  Rao explains, “we do not see a need to increase this change amount unless people come forward with complaints.” A few conductors could be, as is with any real life situation, playing the role of a few rotten apples spoiling the entire basket. But rather than complain in secret, it would be better off for citizens to actually stake claim to their rightful change.For complaints regarding the same contact the RM’s at 9959900808 for Secunderabad region or 9959226116 for Hyderabad region.