A bus conductor's day

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:02:55 GMT

I use the BMTC for my daily commute and meet some interesting people. This series is about my experiences in the bus.

Every morning, usually, I take the same bus and there is a smiling face always welcoming people, asking them if they've had coffee, nudging them inside and demanding "Ticket ticket". She is the conductor of the bus. Between my source and destination, there are 10 stops and she ensures every single time, people get on and off the bus safely, never urging the driver to move the bus or skip a stop. Of course, at 7:30AM in the morning, the crowd isn't as much as it is at the peak hours.

The other day, two TCs got into the bus at Mekhri circle to check if all commuters had ticket or a daily/monthly pass. As soon as they took the tickets and the record sheet from her hand, her face became pale. Well, it is not just her; I have seen that happen to most conductors. The TCs got off past JC Nagar without catching a single passenger without ticket.

The next day, for some reason, the bus was fairly empty and I got chatty with her. I asked her why she was scared of the TCs when she ensured that every one had a ticket to travel and she told me the following story.

"Madam, I am from a poor family. I have studied PUC. My parents married me off soon after. I have two children, one in high school and the other three years younger. My husband does not stay with me. I live with my two children in the outskirts of the city. I am not staying with my parents and do not like taking their help for anything. What I earn here is barely sufficient for the house rent, school fees and two meals a day. Whatever little remains, I am saving for my kids’ education. I want my children to study well and reach new heights that I have not been able to achieve. I do not want them to face the kind of trouble I have. They are both brilliant students and shortage of money should never bother them.

"I usually do the morning shift. At times, I also do overtime if I have some extra expenditure. After my husband and I separated, I needed a job to keep the house going. I thought of various options and applied to BMTC. I got selected and earned a little over a couple of thousand rupees back then. I have been here for nearly five years.

"There has never been a single black mark in these five years. I try to do my duty honestly. But you know Madam, it is difficult. During peak hours, there are too many people boarding the bus, hanging off the foot board. It takes a lot of time to issue tickets, besides checking whether they have a valid pass and ID card. And we also have a schedule. If we don't stick to that, we are penalized. And then there are people who are adamant about standing on the steps, getting on or off a running bus. If, God forbid, something happens, driver and I could be suspended or worse lose our jobs.

"In the midst of all these, if the TC finds passengers without a ticket or a valid pass, the passenger will be levied a fine but the same amount of fine will be levied on me too. This happens to conductors despite being thorough in their job. And that hurts me a lot. I have a tight budget every month and if there is a shortage of even a few rupees, the budget goes for a toss. I am trying really hard not to get into the cycle of credit. But sometimes I am forced to. And to repay that, I have to do overtime. It is a very tough life Madam. Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be easier times. But then again, when I see less fortunate ones, I thank God for not letting us go hungry."

Under the Rainbow: BMTC chronicles

A bus conductor's day