Karnataka minister asked conductor to leave BMTC bus for not having change during surprise check | Follow | Today’s news
Karnataka Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh has been in the limelight ever since he conducted a surprise inspection of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses. During a surprise visit on July 11, he encountered several problems that commuters regularly face when commuting through the IT hub.
Byrathi Suresh shared his experience on social media in a post on X: “Conducted a surprise field inspection by traveling BMTC buses across Bengaluru to assess the commuter experience first hand. Ensuring safe, reliable and responsible public transport remains our top priority.”
Reaction on social networks
A user wrote, “Thanks for the surprise visits, I also request you to do such audits on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings after 10 pm between kormangala madiwala and slik board junctions.”
Another user commented, “It’s great to see your initiative, keep doing more, top officials from BMTC should do this often to understand public issues.”
The third comment read: “Byrathi Suresh, can you please come to V Nagenahalli main road. The road has been open for more than 6 months and work is still going on. Any estimate when it will be completed?”
A fourth user asked, “Why did you remove the upi scanner sticker on BMTC buses? Do you keep commentators and conductors waiting and fighting? . Conductors say they don’t know the reason for removal.”
On Saturday night, Byrathi Suresh, disguised as a common passenger, boarded a BMTC bus from Hebbal to Nagashettihalli. He hid his identity under a mask and asked the conductor to give him two tickets. According to a Times of India report, when he produced ₹100 notes, the conductor asked him for the exact change.
The minister got into a situation that commuters face on a daily basis. When Byrathi Suresh replied that he didn’t have any change, the conductor showed that he didn’t have enough change either by showing his money bag. Unaware that the passenger was the state’s transport minister, the conductor asked Byrathi to get off unless he could offer the exact change. The minister then complied and got off the bus without answering the conductor.
The transport minister reportedly traveled on Bengal roads for 2 hours between 19:22 and 21:10 on routes including Jayamahal, TV Tower, RT Nagar, CBI Road, Hebbal, Manyata Tech Park, Nagawara, Hennur, Hennur Bande, Byrathi Bande and Geddalahalli.
He even took an autorickshaw ride from Nagashettihalli during this surprise tour. The driver demanded ₹36 instead ₹30 displayed on the fare counter when the driver claimed the meter would be recalibrated. The report mentions that the minister eventually paid ₹40 before you get down.
