Taking a Karnataka bus? Don't forget tickets for your pets
We always learn rules the hard way, and a Karnataka farmer is a case-in-point: he was charged half-tickets apiece for two hens he was carrying aboard a KSRTC bus on Sunday. Though he raised a hue and cry, it's well within the confines of the rulebook, that pets like rabbits, pups, cats and birds are charged children's fare, which is exactly half-fare.
He gave Rs.50 to conductor, and got back Rs.2
Srinivas was traveling from Gauribidanur to Peddanahalli, both in Chikkaballapura district, some 58kms from Bengaluru. He had bought two hens from the market in Gauribidanur paying Rs. 150 for each and had boarded the bus from the town bus-stand around 7.10AM. As the conductor approached him, he handed over one Rs. 50 note for the 30-min journey and expected Rs. 26 in return.
He asked the conductor why he was 'overcharged'
Instead he was given Rs. 2 in return and three tickets. Perplexed, he checked the tickets and realized that the conductor has issued two half-tickets of Rs. 12 each, which are basically for children between 6-12 years of age, weighing between 23kg and 30kg, while occupying a seat. He clarified to the conductor that he didn't have any children with him.
Srinivas picked up a fight with conductor
The conductor told him the half-tickets were for the two fowls he was carrying. Angry at the 'overcharging,' he picked up a verbal fight with the conductor demanding the correct refund. However, the latter stood his ground, saying he did as per the rules enlisted. The argument could not continue as the bus reached Peddanahalli, forcing Srinivas to get down.
'It was just two hens...didn't even occupy a seat'
"It was just two (hens) which together weighed 2.5kg and didn't occupy a seat. They were in a plastic bag and on my lap," rued Srinivas. Meanwhile, AU Shariff, Guaribidanur Depot Manager, KSRTC, defended the conductor, saying he followed the transport corporation's regulations. "A circular issued by the department states that we must levy a charge if passengers are carrying pets," Shariff said.
'Wrote on the ticket it was charged for the hens'
"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," he added.
