The city buses in Udupi are the nucleus of mess. Irregularities galore from issuing tickets to refunding the remaining amount (change).
Commuters have unpleasant memories, especially when the conductors are rude. Conductors in most of the buses, do not issue tickets to the passengers and also shout at the commuters if they do not provide sufficient change for the ticket.
The ear bursting horns and the speeding drivers make the travelers regret for boarding the bus.
Sometimes the drivers and conductors stop the bus in midway and indulge in fights with other bus drivers for overtaking them. The structured time schedule has created lots of disadvantages in place of advantages.
Udupi City Bus Owners Association President Kuyiladi Suresh Nayak told Deccan Herald that the city buses in Udupi will compulsorily have ticketing machines by the first week of August. There are more than 90 city buses in Udupi. “We have some 100 ticketing machines and we will introduce the machines to all city buses by this month end," he said.
Nayak added that measures will also be taken to set right the irregularities. "We do not get enough number of conductors and drivers to work. Despite repeated warnings, the association has failed to tackle the issues. Henceforth, contact numbers will be mentioned in the tickets and commuters can call the number and lodge the complaint. It will help us to take actions against the conductors and drivers," he said.
The daily passengers who were offered coupons at concession rates are now provided with RFID (radio frequency information determination) cards to avoid malpractices. The card will be in use from August 1 and students will be provided with the cards from September 1. We are trying the level best to set right the misdeeds. Nevertheless in vain, most of the times it will not work, he added.
He said plan will also be chalked out to open change counters in bus stops that may help avoiding chaos in the bus. The ticketing machine will ensure the issuing of tickets to the passengers. Besides, we have also directed them for minimal use of harsh horns within the city limits, he added.
RTO Padmaprasad S P said that the meeting of all the bus owners held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner has instructed to introduce the ticketing machines at the earliest and abide by the rules. However, there is no time-frame set to introduce the ticketing machines. They are in the process of implementing the order, he added.