Karnataka Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh found himself facing the same difficulties as ordinary passengers when he went undercover to inspect public transport services in Bengaluru on Saturday night, with a bus conductor asking him to leave after he was unable to provide change for a Rs100 note, says the Times of India.
Suresh boarded a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus disguised as a regular passenger and wearing a face mask to assess the quality of services. He travelled with the intention of observing passenger experiences but was not recognised by the conductor during the journey.
The minister boarded the bus on Saturday night and requested two tickets for travel from Hebbal to Nagashettihalli. When he handed the conductor a Rs 100 note for payment, the conductor asked for change.
Suresh told him he did not have any change. The conductor then showed his money bag and said he also did not have sufficient change. He subsequently asked Suresh to get off the bus if he could not provide the required amount.
The minister, who did not reveal his identity, left the bus without any argument. The conductor remained unaware that the masked passenger was the state’s transport minister.
During the inspection, Suresh travelled by bus between 7:10pm and 9:10pm across several routes, including Jayamahalli, TV Tower, RT Nagar, CBI Road, Hebbal, Manyata Tech Park, Nagawara, Hennur, Hennur Bande, Bairathi Bande and Geddalahalli.
He also used an autorickshaw for part of the journey. In the Nagashettihalli area, the auto-rickshaw meter showed a fare of Rs 30, but the driver demanded Rs 36 from him.
When questioned about the difference, the driver said the meter would be recalibrated. The minister later paid Rs40 and got off the autorickshaw.
The surprise inspection highlighted the everyday challenges faced by ordinary passengers while using Bengaluru’s public transport services.
